Beauty and the Stalfos
by JesusLover13
Summary: A retelling of Beauty and the Beast. After accidentally inflicting a curse upon himself, Grog realizes that there's more to turning into a monster than just losing oneself. With only a year left before permanent imprisonment and a life of working for the most evil man in Hyrule, he must find something he has never experienced before: True love. GrogxCremia.
1. Prologue

**I'm so, so_, __so _excited about this story! ^_^ I literally had to force myself not to upload it the day after it was started. xP Fortunately, I've written nearly six and a half chapters since then, so we're good to go for a while. :D**_  
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**This is (a day late) Christmas present for all of the Legend of Zelda fans who have read my other LoZ fics! :) I hope you guys love it! Thank you all so much for of your support and awesomeness! :D  
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**This chapter is a bit on the short side, but I thought it'd be fun to start a story like this for a change. ^_^ All the adults in this chapter are characters from either the Ocarina of Time and/or Majora's Mask games. The children, however, aren't. If you can guess whose grandchildren the kids are, and who the adults are, you will have the next chapter dedicated to you! ^_^  
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**As you can tell, I'm really excited about this. xD But the author's note has been far too long. :P  
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**So, I hope you enjoy it! Again, a day late, but Merry Christmas! :) 3**

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_Prologue:_

_Once Upon a Time_

No one had ever really been sure about the story. After all, no one even knew all of it. Some believed it to be a legend, even a fairytale. And others... well, they simply thought it was crazy.

A few people viewed it as fate, destiny, hope. Even if the story _was _fiction, or if it wasn't, it still somehow told people that true love - real acceptance - was still out there. It told them not to give up.

Maybe there was something worth living for, something worth smiling about.

The tale inspired everyone, young and old, and therefore it would always be passed along.

"Pleeeeeeeease, Gramps?" the little boy begged, his purple eyes pleading.

The old man ruffled the small child's red hair, chuckling somewhat nervously. "I don't know, Riku. Maybe some other time."

"But _Grandpa!_" the smaller girl whined, glancing between her brother and the older man innocently. "We want to hear the story!"

An old woman entered the room. Her red hair was graying, but her beautiful smile easily reached her eyes. "Kira, Riku, why don't you go pick out a _book _for Grandpa to read?"

"No!" shouted another child. He was the second oldest, of the younger children, at nine and a half. He had firey red hair and sky blue eyes. "We don't wanna read some dumb, boring book about a princess trapped in her tower!"

The kind old woman regarded him patiently. "Well, Yuki dear, which story would you like to hear instead?"

"The one about the southern beauty and the Stalfos!"

The room fell silent and seconds ticked by like hours.

"Well?" Yuki rushed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you gonna tell us about it or what? Nobu's dad told _him._"

The elderly man exchanged a look with his wife. They'd both assumed their grandchildren would have been a bit older by the time they actually wanted to know about this story.

"I don't care about that stupid story," eleven year old Jin spoke up. She was the oldest of all the kids and Yuki's older sister. They were Kira and Riku's cousins.

Kira and Riku were twins. The only difference between them, other than their genders, was that Riku's eyes were a deep purple and Kira's were blank, white, and offsetting her red hair.

"I want to hear a romantic story!" Jin exclaimed, shooting her little brother a look. "Not some dumb story about a _monster._"

"Monsters just happen to be cool!" he argued. He turned impatiently to his aunt and uncle. "Just tell the story, will you?"

"No!" Jin jumped in. "I want to hear the story of how they met!"

The old woman glanced at her husband. "Why don't we tell them both stories at once?"

He slowly nodded. He wasn't trying to be so hesitant about this, but he wasn't sure if the children were ready for this story - or if he was even ready to tell it. "I guess so."

The children's other great aunt turned away from the scene before her to peer down at her great grandchild who was sitting in the corner, alone. He had purple hair, orange eyes, and he was the shyest of all the children.

An only child who'd been adopted into the family, he was still a bit unsure of these folks.

"Orenji." His great grandmother spoke softly, not wanting to startle him. "Why don't you go try to sit with the other kids? They're about to hear a great story. You might like it as well."

He shook his head immediately, not even looking up at her.

"Come on," she coaxed. "It's a wonderful story."

"Have you heard it?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

He looked up at her in time to notice the smile that had spread across her face. "I certainly have. And you'll like it too, trust me."

He slowly stood up, silently making his way over to his cousins.

His grandmother grinned, sitting down at a nearby table. She'd heard the story hundreds of times before, but she seemed to love it more and more as time went on.

The old man and woman sat next to each other on the sofa.

The children happily took their places on the rug in front of the elderly couple, eager to hear the story they'd all waited so long to listen to.

The woman looked to her husband for him to start the story.

He took a deep breath before beginning, "Once upon a time..."

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******I'll try to upload the next chapter soon, since this one was so short! :)** Thanks for reading! ^_^


	2. Chapter I

**My excitement for this story is sti****ll here and I'm so glad to be updating today! ^_^ Special shout out to thespiritmaiden for reviewing! I really appreciated that! :D**

**A few things I should mention before we start the chapter: Check out the image... thing (what's it called?) that I made for this story! It took an hour and a half, but I succeeded and I'm quite proud of it (not overly so). xD Please let me know what you guys think! :) Another thing is that this chapter was sort of hard for me to write, even considering how much I love Grog. xD Since I'm normally a happy person, I sometimes have a hard time writing things that are more on the sad side. **

**Still, though, I know it's part of being a writer to accept the feelings that we might not feel as often as other people and turn them into words. (Did that make any sense at all? o_O I mean, I hope you know I meant turn the feelings into words, not the people...) So, with that bit of randomness, I give you this chapter_. _Enjoy!**

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_Chapter I:_

_A Beastly Life_

"That good-for-nothin' son of mine doesn't even have a job!" the carpenters' boss was heard, shouting into the phone one evening. "People are always tellin' me to teach my young'uns how life is supposed to be. They want me to teach those kids how to work hard and make a life for themselves." He sighed. "It worked with Anju, but Grog is hopeless."

Anju winced. She hated it when people compared her brother to her. Everyone was always telling her how perfect she was, how far she'd go in life. "You're meant to be a very successful person," their neighbor had once said.

At first, she liked the nice things people would say about her, but that was before she realized that they were overlooking her younger brother. She doubted anyone in town even really knew his name. Mostly, they referred to him as, "the young punk guy."

Many of the villagers saw him as an arrogant rebel who hated the world and everything in it. A few of them even thought he was an angry spy, sent to Kakariko Village by Ganondorf to eventually destroy them all. It was very unlikely, of course, but lots of people used it as an excuse to avoid the teen. He didn't even _look _normal, for crying out loud. He wore those ugly, yellow pants, black shoes, _no _shirt, he didn't have any hair, and his eyes were whiter than his skin.

How could anyone be expected to trust someone who looked so utterly... unnerving?

Anju was the only one in Kakariko, maybe the only one in the whole world, who could see past Grog's looks and actions. Maybe it was because they were siblings, but she saw the diamond in the rough, even though no one else did - not even Grog himself.

She knew there wasn't much she could do about his life, or how he felt about the world, but she knew she could love him, be there for him, and comfort him.

So that's what she tried her best to do.

"Don't listen to him," she said softly, pulling her brother around the house so he wouldn't have to hear their father's oh-so-encouraging remarks.

Grog sighed, taking a seat on the ground in front of the cucco pen. He held his cucco, Cojiro, in his lap and stroked the bird's blue feathers gently. The cucco was a nice pet to have. It never judged Grog like everyone else did. It reminded him that he was a good person - a nice guy.

_Maybe I am, _he thought sullenly. _Maybe I'm not._

"Dad's wrong about you, you know," Anju went on, trying to sound sure of herself. So often she felt like he'd never believe the words she was saying. She felt like he'd never listen. But, on the off chance he was listening, she needed to sound confident. "You're not useless. You're not just some punk teenager - you're more than that." She tried unsuccessfully to meet his eyes. He was staring down at the grass below him. "You're a great person, Grog."

He snorted, not even looking up at her. "Hahhh. Sure."

Anju stared down at him, a deep pool of sorrow in her blue eyes. She could remember when he was little, when even one word of encouragement would cheer him up. Now it was like pulling teeth just to get him to smile. "I mean it," she said, her voice gentle. "Dad and the carpenters are wrong about you. _Everyone _is wrong about you. You're not a terrible person. You _do _have a place in this world."

He finally looked up at her, his snow white eyes void of any hope or happiness. "What's my place, Anju?" he questioned. "Everyone hates me." He looked away. "Everyone is disgusting. What's the point?"

The red head knelt down in front of the pale teen. "Grog..." He had no idea how much she worried about him on a regular basis. She'd spent long nights laying awake in bed, thinking about her brother and how, each and every day, she saw him grow more and more upset, like a bomb just waiting to explode.

It seemed to get worse day by day. She could see the pain in his eyes, the hurt on his face every time someone ignored him, every time they excluded him because of who they _thought _he was.

They were bringing him down and he was letting them.

But the worst part?

There was nothing Anju could do to help him.

He was unreachable now. He had distanced himself away from her, away from everyone. He was too far away for anyone to help him. And at this point, Anju had no idea what to do. She hated it - it made her feel useless. She was simply watching her brother slip away and there was nothing she could say to make his situation any better. What kind of sister could let that happen?

She sighed. "Dad doesn't mean what he says. He really cares about you. He just... He wants you to make a good life for yourself."

He shook his head. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. I'll be old enough to live on my own in a couple years, anyway. I'll be out of this place and he won't have to worry about my life anymore."

She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, wishing she could somehow break down some of the barriers he'd been building up. "You shouldn't-"

"I can take care of myself," he interrupted, sounding a little more harsh than he'd wanted to.

She looked taken aback, but tried not to show it as she stood back up.

Shiro, one of the carpenters, walked over to them. He'd apparently been eavesdropping. "How you gonna get outta this place if you don't have a job, punk?" he asked Grog, winking at Anju as he walked by.

She glared at him, but he continued, "Just face it, Grog. You can't make it anywhere further in life than this dumb village." He chuckled to himself as he walked away, leaving an angry Anju and a bitter Grog behind.

The siblings were entirely silent as they watched the larger boy walk away.

Suddenly, Grog was on his feet, sending his startled cucco flying off into the air.

"Where are you going?" asked Anju.

"I don't know," he mumbled before heading around the house.

She stared after him as he left. "Oh, Grog," she whispered, "if only you knew how great you truly are."

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A few hours later, Grog took his usual place at the tree near the village's entrance. Everything was beginning to feel like routine for him. Wake up, help Anju with the cuccos, wander around, go to sleep, and all that just to do it over again the next day.

What was so great about being alive if he wasn't really living? Was it all really worth it?

He leaned his head back against the rough tree trunk behind him and stared up at the darkened sky.

What if everyone was right? What if he'd been wrong all those years? Maybe he'd had it backwards. Maybe he wasn't a nice guy. Maybe he was useless, maybe _he _was the disgusting one.

His eyes widened at the realization that his opinions of himself had actually become the same opinions Shiro and his father had of him - the same opinions the entire world had of him.

_What happened?_

He could remember a time when he refused to believe such things. He could remember when he believed those kind words Anju had always said to him.

"I don't care what they say," his older sister had told him one night as she sat with him under his favorite tree. "You're _not _a disgusting person. _They're _the disgusting ones."

"Then what am I?" he'd asked her quietly, not looking up from where he was fiddling with a piece of grass.

"You're nice, Grog." His eyes finally met hers and she smiled sweetly. "You're a nice guy."

Not too long after that, she'd given him Cojiro, a cucco with a lasting reminder that he was a nice person, that he had a good heart.

Lately, though, even Cojiro couldn't remind him of what a great person he was.

He was definitely seeing himself differently now. But why?

Maybe because he'd heard it for so long.

He sighed audibly. _Or maybe it's because they've been right all this time. I was just blind to it - like Anju._

Who wanted a disgusting person around, anyway? Who needed someone like that in their life?

If Anju only knew the truth... she'd probably hate him too.

This was another realization that hadn't occurred to him.

Anju.

She had so much going for her. She was so smart, kind, funny, beautiful. Everyone loved her. She had a whole future ahead of her, and yet she spent all her time worrying about him.

She spent all of her time under the illusion that he was a good person.

But if only she knew what other people could so clearly see.

Grog let out an exasperated sigh, standing up to pace back and forth. His head hurt just thinking about it.

It would be great if he could pretend he knew he was everything Anju said he was and more. But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to act like something he wasn't. Everyone knew the truth about him and, now, he knew the truth about himself.

Anju and everyone else would be better off without him. She would be happier, more free, without him there.

His dad was right - he was useless and he wouldn't make it far in life.

So, why keep bringing everyone else down with him? Why put Anju through anymore pain?

Maybe it was time he saved them from the monster he was.

But how to do that, he wasn't sure.

He glanced down at the bags of rupees he still carried with him. His grandmother had given those to him for his last birthday.

He stopped pacing. Wait. His grandmother.

She had probably only told him one or two useful things in his entire lifetime.

One of them hadn't been useful until now. The other one had been: "Never marry a man from a ranch. It'll only end in heartbreak and one too many cucco feathers in your eye."

Although there was no doubt he'd never marry a man, especially not one from a ranch, he somehow thought his grandmother sharing that little nugget of wisdom with him was... almost nice.

He shook the thought away. She was just like the others. She only saw him as a bum, someone unworthy of her time.

But she _had _once told him something useful.

_"What's that place?" The small boy pointed to the picture on the page of the book his grandmother was holding._

_"That's the Lost Woods. No one other than the Kokiri should ever go there. However, if one was to wander into such a place, he would be lost forever. He would turn into a Stalfos."_

_"What's that?"_

_The old woman smirked. "A monster."_

"Lost forever, monster, got it," Grog muttered into the still, night air.

It couldn't be too bad, right? Turning into something he already was...

His grandmother had never told him how long it would take and, back then, he didn't care to know.

He'd said he would never go to such a place, never _want _to go there. But the thought of it now was comforting, for some odd reason.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed his dad's saw off the ground beside him and started toward the exit of the village.

He paused, turning back to look at his home up on the ledge close by. The lights were on. He could see his sister in the kitchen, attempting to cook a dinner he knew they'd all hate.

He'd miss her, but he knew he couldn't be selfish. And although he knew she'd be worried about him, he was doing this for her own good.

"Good-bye, Anju," he whispered softly before turning and running into the darkness of the night.

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**This chapter is for everyone out there who might feel like they don't have a place in the world. Whoever you are, wherever you are, just know you're loved. There's more to you than what you can see. Don't let anyone bring you down. You're beautiful in your own way and, once you realize how amazing you are, nothing will stop you from shining brightly. 3**


	3. Chapter II

**The second chapter has arrived! :D It's a bit sh****orter than the other one, but hopefully you guys will enjoy it either way. :) Just so you know, I use Japanese names whenever I have to make up a name for a character who doesn't have one. xP Aaaand... Cremia and Romani's father is alive in this story! ^_^ I forgot to mention before that this is set before Majora's Mask. So... that's all, I think. Except...**_  
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**Thank y'all SO much for the awesome reviews! ^_^ They made me smile! :) So, shout out to 2 lazy 2 log in, The Empty Lord, thespiritmaiden, and Jane O'Callaghan! You guys are amazing! :D Thanks to everyone reading this story as well! ^_^ I would reply to the anonymous reviews here, but I'm kind of in a hurry so... just know I appreciate all the reviews! You guys are just so awesome. :D  
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**Also, to everyone who noticed the whole prologue thing... Have a cupcake (or a dessert of your choice). :D  
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**Now... here is the second chapter! Enjoy! ^_^**

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_Chapter II:_

_Toto, Cremia Doesn't Think She's in Termina Anymore_

"Can Romani shoot Them at the new place?" asked the young, red headed girl.

Her father smiled down at her. "Of course you can, sweetheart."

Cremia, his oldest daughter, rolled her eyes. Her sister never seemed to shut up about "Them" - whoever They were. And yet her dad _still _played along. It wasn't like there were really such a thing as aliens. Besides, why would they just follow Romani around everywhere, anyway? It wasn't like they knew where she was moving to.

Cremia shook her head quickly, clearing her thoughts. The last thing she needed was her younger sister rubbing off on her. She sighed. She was probably just being impatient with them. After all, it had been a tremendously long carriage ride to Hyrule from Romani Ranch - and quite frankly, she was tired of driving those horses.

She knew she should be grateful that they even had someplace else to go, but she wasn't looking forward to going to Castle Town. At all.

Being from Termina - specifically from the ranch - Cremia and her family were used rural areas, not some busy city.

She knew they were there for a good reason, though. Her uncle Talon needed help at Lon Lon Ranch and family always came first.

Even if it meant leaving the only home they'd ever known.

Unfortunately, Talon and his daughter, Malon, didn't have anywhere for their relatives to stay at the ranch, so they'd sent word several months (almost a year) earlier and told their family that they'd be forced to stay somewhere in Castle Town instead of the ranch whenever they came to Hyrule.

It'd been a while since they'd been in touch with Malon and Talon, but they guessed the offer still stood, much to Cremia's dismay.

"Look, girls!" their father, Baiko, exclaimed. He pointed to Hyrule Castle Town, which was getting larger as they approached it.

It was quite obviously a high-maintenance, royal town - nothing at all like Clock Town.

Everything inside of Cremia told her to hate that place, but... somehow - when she saw the humongous castle and how the sun shone brightly down on the whole town, making her feel like she was in a movie as the birds soared through the sky above her - she couldn't bring herself to do so.

How could she, or anyone, hate a place so beautiful, so worthy of respect?

She stopped the carriage a few feet away from the drawbridge. "We're here! We're here!" Romani shouted cheerfully. "Look, Cremia! It's so pretty!"

Her sister nodded slowly, staring up at the castle. Even though everything was perfect, something still seemed off. Something wasn't right.

Baiko grabbed the few bags they'd carried with them and started toward the drawbridge. Romani followed close behind him, talking to herself the whole way.

Cremia walked slowly behind her family, but stopped at the sight of a sign that had been torn down. The original words on its front had faded, but, when she turned it over, she saw something on the back.

It was a few words that looked like they'd been carved with a sharp stick:

_"Looks can be deceiving. Turn back now. What's on the outside doesn't matter. If you look inside, you'll see the truth. Turn back now, for your own good. And beware of the c"_

That was all. It was never finished. Whoever had written it had either died or ran away before they had a chance.

Cremia's purple eyes widened. "Beware of what?!" she exclaimed out loud. She tried to figure out what the last word could have possibly been, but she had no such luck.

Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched scream coming from inside Castle Town.

Romani.

Cremia was on her feet in seconds, racing across the drawbridge. She barely had time to register that the once perfect bridge was now broken in two and the area was now a whole lot darker.

"Romani!" she shouted. "I'm coming!"

She headed into the heart of the town. Strange noises were rising all around her and her heart was pounding in her chest. She spotted Baiko and Romani a few feet away. Romani's face was pale and Baiko was doubled over on the ground. Monsters were surrounding them.

"Dad!" Cremia, even in spite of her fears, hurried forward. She was relieved to see that the monsters were incredibly slow and most of them hadn't yet gotten to her family.

When she drew closer, she noticed that her father had a large gash on his leg. He'd been hit by something, she realized. "Romani, run," she instructed firmly, momentarily squelching every fear running through her mind. "Get out of here."

"But-"

"Go! As fast as you can!"

"Romani won't leave her family behind!" the young girl shouted. Even with tears threatening to fall from her eyes, she looked fearless and determined.

Cremia scanned the area around her. The monsters were closer now and her father was injured. She knew she didn't have time to argue with Romani, so she bent down to help Baiko up. "Romani, let's get Dad out of here. We have to hurry."

The sign outside was a warning. It'd said to turn back. It had been right.

And if she was being honest with herself, she was terrified. But she had to be strong right now - she had to get them out of there.

The sisters hauled their father to his feet. "Girls," he said weakly, "leave me. I'm only weighing you down. You have... to get to safety."

"No," Cremia insisted. "We have to help you!"

They started quickly toward the exit, with Baiko trying his best to walk even in spite of his injury. The monsters behind them were making all kinds of strange noises, but they were no match for Cremia and Romani's speed.

"They're after us!" cried the younger of the girls as she glanced over her shoulder.

Cremia ignored her. They got out of Castle Town easy enough, but the broken bridge was the main problem.

Cremia hopped into the water between the two pieces of bridge, soaking her dress.

"What are you-" Romani began, but her older sister interrupted.

"Gently push Dad toward me, then hop across the water. We have to get him to the carriage."

Romani nodded, but she soon found that trying to "gently" push someone one hundred fifty pounds, more or less, heavier than her was not an easy task.

"I can just hop through the water," Baiko offered.

"No!" Cremia shook her head stubbornly. "We don't know what's in this water and you're hurt!"

Romani was pushing him with all her might, but he wouldn't budge.

Suddenly, three Stalfos emerged from within Castle Town, all three of them holding knives.

Romani shrieked.

Cremia, thinking fast, grabbed a board from the bridge and chucked it at the villains.

They dodged it without hesitation.

Cremia yanked her father over to her and shoved him onto dry ground as fast as possible.

The Stalfos were now inches away from Romani, their knives raised, but the small girl looked nothing short of brave. She kicked one on his bony shin, catching him off guard, before bouncing happily across the bridge. She turned around once she'd reached the other side. "That's what you babies get," she taunted, sticking her tongue out at them. They only grumbled menacingly.

"Get to the carriage!" Cremia ordered her dad and sister. She was trying her best to get out of the water, but the bottom of her dress was caught on the bridge underwater.

The Stalfos growled, lunging toward her.

She was still jerking at her dress, praying she would make it out of this alive.

She had so much to live for, so many places she hadn't been, people she'd never met, so many things she needed to do in her lifetime.

She glanced over at her family. Baiko had made it safely to the carriage, but his face was really pale. Romani looked afraid and she hadn't yet gotten in with her father. She was hesitating and that meant she could be in danger.

"Go!" Cremia screamed.

"But..." Romani still hesitated and Cremia went back to trying to free herself from the bridge.

Without warning, one of the Stalfos backhanded her across the face, causing her to fall into the water.

She was surprised, at first, that her face wasn't hurting at all, but the pain suddenly welled up and she thought she would cry.

She looked up in time to see the same Stalfos standing over her, his knife raised to end her life.

She was up in seconds, ignoring the pain in her face and jerking her dress free, managing to rip the bottom of it in the process. She raced onto dry ground just before the knife splashed in the water where she'd been only seconds before.

Romani hopped into the carriage just as Cremia reached it. The Stalfos were running after them, but the carriage was already speeding away from Castle Town.

Cremia wasn't sure where to go next - for all she knew, the rest of Hyrule was just as bad, or even worse. She knew she needed to get away from that horrible town, though.

"There!" Romani shouted. She pointed to a large staircase across another bridge. She glanced down at her father. His leg wasn't looking too good and his face was even more pale than before.

Cremia steered the horses across the short bridge. She didn't hear the Stalfos chasing them any longer and figured it was safe enough to stop in front of the staircase. "Romani, run into that village and get some help. If you see even the first sign of danger, come back here. Got that?" She hated asking something so big of such a small girl, but she had no other choice. Baiko was hurt and she needed to protect him.

Romani nodded, hopping out of the carriage before racing into the village.

Cremia wanted to help their father, but she forced herself to stay where she was. If Romani came back with a few monsters behind her, they'd need to leave immediately.

She glanced over her shoulder. "Hang in there, Dad. You'll be all right."

The world felt like it would crash down on her shoulders at any minute, but she tried to stay positive as she waited for her sister to return with either help or their worst nightmare.

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**Hmm... Did you guys like it? :] Thanks for reading! ^_^**


	4. Chapter III

**Hey! :) This is literally the shortest chapter so far, outside of the prologue. I didn't realize how short it was until I actually typed it up. The main point of this chapter isn't so much what happens (even though that is important), it's more to help the readers understand what's going on. I'd had a bit of trouble writing chapter seven lately, so I'm hoping to finish that before I upload anymore chapters after this one. Anyway, I shall thank the kind reviewers now! ^_^ Thanks again to Jane O'Callaghan and thespiritmaiden for reviewing - it really means a lot! :D**_  
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**thespiritmaiden: Mhmm. I kind of feel bad being so mean to Grog sometimes. :/  
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**Again, a short chapter, but I hope y'all enjoy it, anyway! ^_^**

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_Chapter III:_

_Too Late_

Days went by like years. The Lost Woods were funny like that. It had been anywhere from three to five days since Grog had arrived. He'd caught himself trying to leave a few times, but he forced himself to stay rooted to the ground in front of that one tree stump.

When he was bored, he'd play around with his dad's saw and a piece of wood. Sometimes it would get cold - especially when the wind sent the Zora's icy air to the forest - and he'd want to go home. But every single time he thought about it, he thought of Anju and how she would be better off without him, how _everyone _would be better off without him.

He spent a lot of time thinking as well as sleeping. There wasn't really much to do in the forest.

In fact, he'd been fast asleep that morning when he'd heard Cojiro crow. He'd thought it was a dream at first, but when he'd opened his eyes, his cucco had been there, as well as a boy clothed in green.

It was crazy to think that someone other than Grog himself could tame the bird, but if so... That must mean...

The boy dressed in green was a nice guy.

Grog had sent him to his grandmother back in Kakariko Village to retrieve a special potion. He hadn't seen the guy since.

In all honesty, Grog would've gone to get the potion on his own, but he'd been feeling rather weak ever since he'd woken up earlier. His head felt a little dizzy and his body ached all over.

He even thought it was a dream when a small, cute, forest girl with blond hair walked over to him. "You don't look so good," she commented, blinking at him with big, innocent, blue eyes.

"I'm not... feeling so great either," he explained, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Stalfos." She looked so cheerful, he wasn't sure if he'd heard her right.

"What?"

"Anyone who isn't a Kokiri, and comes into these woods, ends up lost," the girl told him.

"Yeah," he said, holding his left arm when a sharp pain jolted through it. "I know that. And then they turn into a monst-"

"A Stalfos," she corrected, smiling. "Yep. That's as much as anyone knows; but there's more to the curse than that."

"Like?" he asked through clenched teeth. All of his bones were aching now, searing pain coursing through them. "What's happening?"

She giggled, not the list bit concerned about all of this. "It hurts turning into a Stalfos, but this isn't the worst part."

He stifled a groan and let her continue. She knelt down in front of the teen. His eyes were slammed shut and she knew he was in pain, but she also realized he'd done this to himself.

And now he couldn't go back.

"Stalfos, by nature, are not nice creatures. They work for Ganondorf, who is evil. They are angry, resentful, and, after some time, they become almost as evil as Ganondorf."

"Become?" he mouthed. He was too confused to speak. With all this trouble, he almost wished he'd stayed in the village.

She nodded. His eyes were still closed and she knew the pain would drown out her voice if he didn't pay attention. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Open your eyes," she ordered calmly.

"No. I..." he trailed off.

"Open them!" she shouted, a lot firmer this time. "It's not like you're having a baby! You can handle this!"

"I need to go back home," he whispered, keeping his eyes closed.

"You can't do that now," the girl explained quietly. "It's too late."

Grog slowly opened his eyes, just in time to see another forest kid, this one a boy with red hair, appear a few feet away.

"Fado, I heard you shouting! Just what are you-" The kid stopped when he spotted Grog. "Oh no. Not again." He turned wordlessly and raced out of the area.

Grog looked back at Fado, who was staring intently at him, while still managing to look sweet and innocent. "You thought turning into a Stalfos meant transforming into something else, leaving the old you behind and letting the monster take over, right?"

He nodded slowly, holding his side. His ribs felt like they were on fire and he knew this couldn't be good.

Fado sighed, looking rueful. "That's what they all thought. Unfortunately, no one has ever correctly made it out of this to tell the others what really happened." Her blue eyes met Grog's white ones. "You're still you when you turn into a Stalfos - you just look different. You still have a mind. You can think, feel, see, and understand things.

"You're even free. You don't have to work for Ganondorf as his minion. You're not taken as prisoner at first either, not to work for him."

Grog stared back at her. She didn't seem to be joking and he hated how she'd said he wouldn't be a prisoner "at first." He glanced down at his hands and noticed they were becoming more bony with each passing second. "What's-"

Fado interrupted him. "Oh! I need to hurry!" She moved his head up so he would look her in the eyes again. "You have a year."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Wait. A year? For what?"

"A year before the nature of the Stalfos takes over. A year before you must work for Ganondorf - forever."

His hands were shaking now, but he didn't dare to look down at them. "I can't," he said softly. He'd made the wrong decision. This isn't what he'd wanted. "I won't. I need to leave." He pressed his back against the stump behind him and carefully stood up. He almost fell back down, but he grabbed the stump for support before he could. The searing pain he felt was a hundred times worse now and he had to stifle a scream.

"It doesn't work like that," Fado told him, getting to her feet as well. She knew this fate was unfortunate, but he had to face it. "There's only one way to break the curse."

"How?" he questioned desperately, his teeth clenched.

"If you find true love, you'll be set free from the curse. It's when someone loves you unconditionally, no matter what you do, no matter what you look like," the small, blond girl explained. "You have to find it before twelve months have passed. If you don't, you'll become a Stalfos permanently. You'll be imprisoned in Ganondorf's Castle to work for him for the rest of your life."

Grog tried to move forward a few steps, but instantly fell to his knees. "True love," he repeated, his voice barely audible. "No one loves me now, how could anyone love me after I'm..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. "I need to leave this-"

Fado shook her head immediately. "No! You can risk Ganondorf finding you! If he finds you before the twelve months are up, you'll become his prisoner early! The forest is the safest place for you right now, trust me."

Grog didn't argue. He knew he couldn't keep fighting this. The pain was too strong now and he couldn't even hear the rest of what Fado was saying. He could feel himself slowly losing consciousness now. He hoped he would go to sleep only to wake up and realize that it was all just a terrible nightmare.

Still, even in his transformation, one thought rang out louder than all of his silent screams: _People can barely love each other as it is. How on Earth is anyone going to love a beast, a monster? How could anyone look past a Stalfos and see a nice guy?_

* * *

**This chapter should help things move along. I hope y'all liked it! Thanks so much for reading! ^_^  
**


	5. Chapter IV

**Happy late Valentine's Day! ^_^ I was actually going to post this on V-Day to let you guys know how much I love you, but I didn't make time. And I caught this annoying cold last Sunday, so I've been trying to rest. Almost better! :D Good news: I FINALLY finished chapter seven and I'm working on chapter eight. So-So news: I'm not quite satisfied with how things are going in both of those chapters. I need something huge and spectacular to happen, I guess. So, please be patient. I'll update again as soon as I can! ^_^**

**Special thanks to thespiritmaiden for reviewing again! :D It's such a blessing to know that there people out there who are actually reading what I write. ^_^**

**Here's chapter four. Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

_Chapter IV:_

_Does Rain Get Lonely Too?_

It had been only a week since Cremia, Baiko, and Romani had arrived in Hyrule, a week since the girls' father had been injured, and a week since they'd taken refuge in Kakariko Village.

Potion for Baiko to drink had been almost all the Rupees they'd had left, since they'd spent most of them trying to get to Hyrule. Even so, his leg wasn't feeling any better and he could barely walk.

Currently, their small family was staying with Anju - a kind girl from the village - and her family.

Anju had made a cast for the man's leg and given the family two rooms in her home. Baiko got the guest room and the sisters got Grog's old room, for the time being.

Cremia liked the family - they seemed nice - but she wasn't sure if she could trust them. In a place where big, scary monsters roamed about freely, she didn't think she could really trust anyone.

Anju had already told her about Ganondorf, the one who was now ruling over Hyrule.

With some terrifying, green man ruling a land no where near as safe as Termina, Cremia had a hard time even going to Lon Lon Ranch and back without jumping at the slightest of sounds.

She'd been working at the ranch with her cousin, Malon, since Romani refused to leave the village. Cremia knew it was because the child was scared, but Romani claimed she only wanted to watch after her father. "Someone has to be the strong one around here," she'd said. Cremia had only rolled her eyes.

The oldest of the two had been working for six days straight at the ranch, all day, non-stop. When she would come home exhausted, she'd smile and tell everyone she'd had a great day.

She hated lying to them, but she knew how much they needed the money and she didn't want them worrying about her.

Besides, the quicker they helped with the work at Lon Lon Ranch, the quicker they could get back to Termina. Cremia was beginning to hate Hyrule more and more each day. Thankfully, she got one day off every week, since Sundays weren't busy days at the ranch.

So, she'd been trying to sleep in when a loud rustling in the room startled her awake.

Her eyes snapped open in time to see a frenetic Anju across the room at the dresser, rifling through one of the drawers. Romani and Cremia's clothes were in both nightstands, because they thought it'd be weird to remove all of a stranger's things from his own room.

Cremia glanced to her left. Romani wasn't there. She must have gotten up earlier.

Anju continued digging through the dresser, completely ignoring Cremia as she did so. Clothes and other accessories went flying through the air as Anju dug through the drawer like her life depended on it.

The farm girl slowly sat up, tiredly watching her newest friend. "Anju? Is everything okay?"

The red head whirled around to face her guest. She laughed nervously, but even that didn't hide the worry on her face. "I'm terribly sorry," she apologized, bowing politely. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine." Cremia rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What's going on?"

Anju glanced back at the dresser, quickly shutting the two drawers she'd been going through. "Oh, it's nothing. My brother..." she trailed off, but never finished. She only turned away and started fiddling with a cucco figurine on the dresser.

Cremia, with a look of sorrow, turned to the nightstand next to her. Beside the lamp sat an unframed picture of a happy-looking Anju and a skinny, pale teenage boy who was staring at the camera, an angry, hurt look in his white eyes. The two looked close, judging by how comfortable they seemed, but even though Anju looked happy, the younger boy seemed to be the complete opposite. "Is that your brother?"

Anju turned around and glanced at the photo. She smiled sorrowfully. "Yeah." She grabbed a picture of the two of them when they were kids. Sitting down on the bottom of the bed, she admired the photo in silence.

Cremia's mind was racing with curiosity, but only one question came to mind. "Where is he?"

That one question alone seemed to cause Anju to break down almost immediately. She hated crying in front of other people, but she couldn't help it at this point.

Cremia slowly reached out to the other girl and pulled her into a gentle hug. She wasn't used to people crying - she'd never seen her father cry and Romani usually acted too tough for that kind of stuff. This was definitely unusual to her and she had no idea what to do other than attempt to comfort her new friend.

Anju sniffled. "H-He... My brother..." She tried unsuccessfully to stop the tears. "He usually leaves for days on end sometimes, but... it's been over a week now! I don't know where he is or if he's all right!"

Cremia pulled out of the hug and stared down at the photograph in the other girl's hands. "What were you looking for?" she asked quietly.

Anju wiped her tears away. "I was looking for a note. He usually leaves one for me if he's going to be gone for a long amount of time. He used to hate doing that, but after I bugged him enough, he finally did." She smiled sadly. "He could be anywhere right now." A couple more tears rolled down her cheeks. "He could be hurt, or lost, or calling out for help."

Cremia gave the girl another reassuring hug. "I'm sure he's fine." She glanced back at the picture of the angry boy with the lost look in his eyes. _Maybe he's better off, wherever he is._

* * *

"You just gettin' around to breakfast, young lady?"

Cremia's head snapped up at the loud voice. It was Mutoh, Anju's father and the carpenters' boss. She wasn't exactly fond of the man. He was very unlike her father. She'd never see him pay any real attention to Anju and she'd definitely never heard him say "I love you." Not even to his own mother.

It wasn't just that. He also didn't seem like a kind man. He was only selfish.

It annoyed Cremia to no end, but she still strove to be respectful. "Yes, sir," she replied. "Today is my day off from work."

Mutoh laughed bitterly, grabbing a bottle of milk from the refrigerator and starting toward the door. "I know everyone needs a break sometimes, li'l girl, but if you get to relaxing too much, you'll get lazy." He shook his head. "You don't wanna end up like that son of mine - lazy bum never works."

Cremia watched as he exited the house. She wanted to scream, "I didn't ask you for free advice!" But, of course, she didn't. It bothered her a lot that (1.) Mutoh was such a jerk and (2.) he wasn't even worried about his own son's well-being.

If she or Romani had not been home for over a week, Baiko would have traveled far across all the lands in search of them.

Mutoh, however, didn't even seem to notice his son's disappearance.

As a matter of fact, Anju seemed to be the only one who cared about the guy.

_Maybe he has some friends, _she thought, standing up. She tossed her unfinished toast into the trashcan. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to know more about this mysterious, misunderstood boy.

She couldn't imagine why. He wasn't the nicest-looking cow in the pasture and Mutoh and the carpenters seemed to hate him. He'd obviously been angry at the world. But for what reasons?

Anju seemed to love him a lot, though. And his eyes... It was a little scary that they were entirely white - definitely unusual. But Cremia recognized the look in those eyes. She, too, had once been lonely and shy. That had been a long time ago, though. She smiled at the thought. That was back when she'd made her first new friend in Termina.

_The drizzling rain hit the pavement gently, creating a nice orchestra - if one listened well enough._

_Cremia had gone to Clock Town with her father to pick up some groceries. Unfortunately, they'd gotten separated in the busy store and she'd managed to wander outside._

_At first, it was fun. She was only eight at the time and the idea of walking around Clock Town on her own made her feel like a grown up._

_She'd had a great time up until it started raining and now she was getting all cold and wet. She'd walked around the large town in search of her daddy, but she didn't find him anywhere._

_She finally settled on going to the Laundry Pool when he was no where to be found. She had been listening to the rain for a while now, as she sat on the bench, but her mind began to wander, just as anyone's mind could easily do on a dreary, rainy evening._

_"Rain," she began quietly, "do you get lonely too?"_

_Half of her waited for an answer, while the other half of her laughed at her own foolishness._

_It occurred to her, though, that maybe it did. Maybe the rain was lonely. Maybe the sky or moon or whoever it was cried because it felt alone. Maybe it thought its tears would somehow show someone, _anyone,_ that it was just looking for a friend, someone who cared._

_She looked up, squinting as raindrops attempted to land in her large, purple eyes. "I understand, Rain. I know how you feel."_

_She and her father had moved to Termina only a few weeks ago. They were country people - people who didn't care much for city life or any of its luxuries._

_Not many kids in Clock Town liked Cremia. Of course, that was simply because they'd never tried to get to know her. They saw her as some stupid, cow-milking noticed their actions, though, and how they excluded her from all their games._

_After a while, it'd angered her, but now it was to the point she was upset about it._

_Was there a reason none of the other kids wanted to play with her? Was something wrong with her?_

_She pretended it didn't upset her, but, really, it did. She was alone. She felt what true loneliness was._

_The rain - it must have felt the same way. It must somehow understand her feelings._

_The rain was coming down a lot harder now. She closed her eyes and let the rain pour down on her face. It felt good to be understood._

_"Hello?"_

_Her eyes snapped open at the voice. She immediately met the eyes of a short boy with long, purple hair._

_Red. His eyes were red._

_She recognized him as Kafei Dotour. Where had he come from?_

_"Huh?"_

_Kafei's eyebrows knitted together in concern. "You're soaked. Why are you out here?"_

_"I..." she trailed off, moving her wet hair out of her eyes. "I got lost."_

_Kafei bent down and took her cold hand in his warm one. "Come on. You're freezing."_

_She stood up. "Where are we going?"_

_He grinned at her, his eyes twinkling. "To my secret hideout."_

_A single spark of excitement found itself inside of Cremia's stomach._

_Kafei pulled her over the small bridge and into the room across the Laundry Pool. They headed down some stairs and ended up in a small back room. Only a bed, desk, chair, and box occupied the room._

_"Your name is Cremia, right?" Kafei asked. He pulled a couple blankets off the bed._

_Her eyes widened. She didn't know anyone knew her name. "Y-Yes."_

_She'd seen Kafei around before. He, unlike the other kids, never teased her, never made fun of her. She'd had a secret crush on him ever since the first time she'd laid eyes on him. He was very handsome for an eight year old._

_He motioned for her to sit down on the bed. She slowly took a seat and he made a point to wrap the blankets around her. "How'd you get lost?"_

_"I was separated from my dad," she explained. "I don't know where he is." She smiled as she glanced around the room. "Thanks for giving me someplace warm to stay. It was really cold out there."_

_He smiled softly. "No problem. I'll go find your dad. I'm sure he's worried about you."_

_Cremia's eyes went wide. "You'd do that for me?" None of the other kids would even dare to look at her sometimes, much less do something so kind._

_Kafei grinned, his smile seeming to light up the whole room. "Of course." He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him again._

_"Wh-Why?"_

_"Because I care... and I'm a nice guy."_

It was a simple memory, but it made the red head smile every time she thought about it.

Kafei had been her first real friend, her first love. She _still _loved him.

She had once felt lonely, like the rain. But that lost look in her eyes had vanished after she'd met Kafei. They had been close ever since.

So, maybe that was all Anju's brother needed - a friend.

Cremia still found herself wanting to know more about the boy, so she started toward the door. Maybe some of the other villagers knew of his whereabouts.

She swung the door open just in time to see her father standing in front of her, holding the stick he used as a crutch.

"Good morning!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning, Cremia." He smiled, almost looking sad.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed, his smile fading. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know it's your day off, but Malon has sent word for you. It turns out, they will need some help at the ranch today. They said they have a lot of work to be done. I'm sorry, Cremia."

As exhausted as she was, she forced herself to nod and agree, at least so her father wouldn't have to go.

Anju's brother would have to wait - wherever he was.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! ^_^  
**

**The next chapter is where it starts to change! :) But for the better or for the worse? Hmm...**

**Dun dun dun. xP**


	6. Chapter V

**This was supposed to be uploaded last night, but I got distracted by the internet. xD Good news! CHAPTER EIGHT IS COMPLETED! ^_^ I read over the whole story the other day and I'm quite satisfied with it, which is new for me. It's a nice feeling. :) This chapter takes place three months after the previous chapters, just in case you skip over the title of the chapter. xD (I tend to skip those a lot without meaning to. xP) Anyway! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed - it means a lot to me! ^_^**

**thespiritmaiden: Kafei is definitely really awesome! ^_^ And really? You found fan art of Grog? That's amazing! :D I bet it was really cool! :) Thanks for reviewing again! ^_^**

**Chaos Wielder: You just made my day. And my week. THANK YOU. I was just thinking about you the other day and it's so good to hear from you again! I hope you're doing well! (Good luck with the house and work thing, by the way! I'm sure it's really exciting, even though a bit hectic!) :) Wow. I never really thought about that, though. o_O The Zelda creators must have loved fairytales! Thanks so much for reviewing! ^_^ It was nice hearing from you!**

**I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

_Chapter V:_

_Three Months Later_

A cool breeze sent the leaves of the trees moving peacefully as they fell to the forest floor.

The blond Hylian glanced over his shoulder. "Are you sure no one will follow us?" he whispered. Even a whisper in the silent woods seemed to echo loudly. He was probably just being paranoid, though.

His best friend, a girl with green hair and a short stature, smiled softly. "Link, maybe you should start taking more breaks from your adventures. This is the forest, not the Gerudo's fortress."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, but where we're going..."

She sighed. "I know. But we'll make sure before we get there. Other than Mido, I doubt anyone would try to follow us."

Link nodded, even though he couldn't see how she could ever be so laid back about this. If anyone were to follow them, it could be dangerous.

"This way." Saria turned right and ducked under a couple trees that looked almost connected.

Link followed closely behind her, underneath the limbs of the trees and out the other side. A makeshift house sat only yards away from them.

Branches and vines camouflaged the home almost perfectly. The only thing that set it apart from everything else was the fact that it was located directly in the center of a circular area.

Link had been here a few times before, but the house amazed him each time he arrived. He and Saria had built this place a while back - and they'd done a great job.

The friends silently approached the mess of branches, leaves, and small sticks.

Saria moved the long vines that posed as a door out of her way and quietly stepped into the house. Her breath caught in her throat when she took notice of the wreck before her.

When they'd first built the house, she'd furnished it with very nice, yet old things. It had actually looked really elegant, at first. But now was a whole different story.

Pots were broken, leaving shattered glass strode about the floor of the house; pictures were torn in two; the sofa had been ripped apart, almost to shreds.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

Link's blue eyes darted around the room quickly. "What..."

"Grog?" Saria called out cautiously. She knew very well what had probably happened, and, even with the Hero of Time standing next to her, couldn't stop the bit of anxiety that was threatening to rise up inside of her.

She took a few steps forward and scanned the room.

There were only two rooms in the small house - this one containing a living room, kitchen, and dining room, all in one. The other room only held a bed and a nightstand.

Link looked down at Saria. "Do you think he left?"

She shook her head. "For some reason, I don't think he would leave, not now." She took a few more steps forward. "I can't go past the halfway point of this room. I'll need you to search for Grog."

When the two of them had built the house, long ago, they'd built it in two sections of the woods: The Lost Woods and the woods of Hyrule.

Saria, of course, couldn't leave the forest. She regretted building the house that way, but they weren't about to tear it down, not when they often had a Stalfos or two living inside.

Link carefully walked forward, unsure of what to expect. He was about to turn the corner to the bedroom when, suddenly, a skeletal figure stepped out in front of him.

"Sorry about..." The Stalfos motioned around the room. Link had never known a monster to show emotion, but this one was. He knew it was Grog. "I got angry, became destructive." He walked over to Saria, who hadn't moved from her spot near the middle of the room. "What's happening to me? Why did I do this?"

Saria sighed, moving a few strands of hair away from her blue eyes. "The nature of the Stalfos shows up at random times in the months before your imprisonment. It causes you to feel rage. It's normal, but it usually doesn't happen this early. That normally happens after five months of being a Stalfos."

"Why so early, then?" Link questioned.

"Maybe because he _wanted_ to be lost when he entered the woods?" she tried, shrugging. "I'm not sure. All I know is that it could've been dangerous if anyone had been here while Grog was in that state."

Grog looked up from where he'd been staring at the glass on the floor. "Why?"

Saria hesitated before answering, "Someone could have gotten hurt." When the Stalfos simply turned away, she added, "You couldn't control your anger, could you?"

He sighed in defeat. "No. I was furious and I couldn't stop myself from tearing everything apart..." He took a seat on the sofa and avoided the gazes of his friends.

They'd built this house to hide the monsters in, since most of the Kokiri feared Stalfos. He'd been staying there since he'd woken up on the night of his transformation.

"Will I ever see my sister again?" he asked quietly, looking up at them. "I mean, does true love _have _to be the romantic kind? Maybe love between family can break the curse."

Link looked eagerly at Saria, his sky blue eyes wide. He'd always known that Grog was a nice guy. And he wanted to know there was still hope for the other boy.

Saria sat down on the floor. "I don't know, Grog. Everyone before you... they never tried anything like that. But I wouldn't recommend going to see her. You could become destructive at any moment and you wouldn't want her to get hurt."

Grog knew he couldn't argue. If Anju were to get hurt, because of him, he'd never forgive himself. He couldn't be selfish - he had to leave her out of this, even if she _was _the only one who could ever truly love a monster.

"What about the girls in Kokiri?" Link asked, speaking up for the second time. "Maybe... Could one of them fall in love with him?"

Saria winced. "Unfortunately, no. All of them are afraid of m-" She stopped herself. "Stalfos."

Grog chuckled bitterly. "Hah. It's fine. You were right the first time." He fiddled with the corner of a shredded pillow. "What about Fado? She knows about the curse, she isn't afraid of me."

Saria bit her lip. "Well... Fado's different. She's there to help the Stalfos, but she has sworn never to fall in love with one, only because she knows everything there is to know about them." She looked as though she was about to say more, but she seemed to stop herself.

Grog knew she was hiding something, but he decided not to mention it. Yet.

"Can anything else break the curse?" asked Link, glancing at Grog. "Maybe a potion or something?"

"No. True love is the only way to go."

Grog looked up. "Has anyone ever done it?"

"Done what?"

"Succeeded in finding true love."

The Sage of the Forest smiled softly. "Once." She wanted to give him hope, so she'd left out the fact that the Stalfos who'd found love, found it too late.

Grog snorted. "So, my chances are one in a million. Great."

* * *

It was a long, windy walk home from Lon Lon Ranch. Cremia was still working hard for her family. She'd been doing so non-stop since the incident in Castle Town.

Every potion her father had taken for his leg had only made the pain subside - it didn't heal him. So, she was still working her butt off for him and Romani.

In fact, his leg seemed to be getting worse.

She wished there was something she could do about it, but she'd simply decided resting was the best thing for him.

She felt a chill run down her spine as she glanced back at Hyrule Castle towering over the town. She'd had nightmares about those terrible monsters for weeks now. She hated them.

But even more so, she hated Ganondorf, who was apparently their leader. He had ruined this once-peaceful land and her life.

She shook her head angrily and started toward Kakariko Village.

Over the last three months, she'd grown to like living there. It wasn't as nice as Romani Ranch, but she liked it a lot.

Anju seemed calmer and more used to the idea of her brother being gone now. Cremia had tried to get the cucco lady to talk about it, but Anju refused, claiming she was all right.

Cremia knew that wasn't true, though.

She'd found out little about the missing teen since she'd began asking. Everyone in the village called him "that young punk guy" and no one really spoke highly of him. Some had even called him a monster.

Cremia knew they were wrong, though. She thought otherwise. Sometimes, at night, she'd wake to find herself facing the nightstand, staring into the eyes of the boy the rest of the world hated. Those eyes... They weren't the eyes of a monster. They were masks to hide what he was feeling inside.

She could relate to those eyes.

There was a storm raging inside of him and no one else, possibly not even Anju, could understand.

Other than that, Cremia knew nothing about the boy - not even his name.

Anju was too upset to say his name and, when Cremia had asked Mutoh, he'd simply snorted and walked away.

His grandmother had been pretty frustrated when Cremia had asked about the teen. "That bum just wanted to ruin his life," she'd said.

Cremia knew there had to be more to this mysterious guy than what anyone was telling her. And she couldn't seem to figure out why she cared so much. She didn't even know him, after all.

Maybe it was because she felt a connection with him, of sorts.

The only thing that really bothered her about the whole situation was the fact that no one other than Anju seemed to be concerned about the disappearance of the boy.

Cremia wished she could go searching for him, but she knew she had obligations at home.

_Home, _she thought bitterly. _Whatever _that _is._

She was living in a stranger's house to take refuge from the war and monsters that waited just outside the village's walls.

She promised herself Ganondorf would be sorry if she was ever within arm's reach of him.

In fact, she was muttering under her breath as she entered her new home that evening.

"Are you talking to yourself, Cremia?" came a small voice.

Cremia looked down in time to see her little sister standing in front of her. She forced herself to laugh instead of collapse in fatigue. "Not really, Romani."

"It's okay to admit it!" the younger of the two exclaimed. "Romani does it all the time!"

Cremia smiled softly, ruffling her sister's hair. "Where's Dad?"

Romani's smile dropped immediately. "Um..."

Cremia's eyes went wide and she forgot all about how tired she was. She took hold of Romani's arm. "Where. Is. Dad?"

"Upstairs," Romani finally answered when she realized her sister was serious.

Cremia let go of the younger girl's arm and raced upstairs, pushing past both Mutoh and Shiro to get to the bedroom.

"Dad!" she exclaimed worriedly, swinging the door open and stepping into the room. She immediately noticed Anju and Granny in the room, standing next to Baiko, who was lying on the bed. "What's going on?"

Anju turned around and bowed politely. "Cremia, I'm glad you're back. Rest assured, your father is all right. He's just..." she trailed off, looking unsure. "Well..."

"What?" Cremia rushed, not having enough patience for Anju at the moment. She hurried over to the bed. Baiko had his eyes closed and he was sweating. Granny had a wet cloth laid on his forehead. "Dad, what happened?"

"He's running a fever," Granny explained. "He didn't get a potion to help him get better soon enough and he had a bad reaction to whatever monster got him - not everyone can withstand being hit by one of them. His leg may be infected."

"But..." Cremia was at a loss for words as she stared down at her father. "Why didn't we know until now?"

"Sometimes it takes a while for these things to take affect," Granny answered. "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can really do for him."

Cremia was immediately angered. "So... what? We're just going to sit here and let him suffer? Are you _kidding _me?" She put her hands on her hips, glaring at Granny. "You make potions, right? Why can't you do something?"

"It took too long to take affect," the old woman repeated. "No potion we give him now can heal his wound."

"_Look-_" the red head began furiously, but her father interrupted.

"Cremia, it's my own fault that it's even this bad. I've been in a great deal of pain for a few days now. I didn't say anything, because I wanted no one to worry."

"Well, it's too late for that," she whispered softly, causing him to sigh in defeat. She turned back to Anju and Granny. "Isn't there something you can do? Maybe you can... invent a potion?"

"Hmm..." Granny headed over to a chair across the room and began rifling through her bag. "I suppose..." She continued, mumbling incoherently to herself.

Cremia waited impatiently, rubbing her hands together. She was still a little angry, but she knew that was better than crying and freaking out. She needed to stay calm - for Romani _and _their father.

A look of hope crossed Granny's face, making her look years younger, but it vanished almost as quickly as it had come.

"What?" the oldest farm girl asked anxiously. "Is there something we can do?"

Granny shook her head quickly. "Never mind that. It's too risky."

"No, please!" Cremia pleaded. "Tell me! I need to know our options."

"There would be a lot at st-"

"I don't care. I want to know."

Granny sighed. "You sure are one persistent child." She started back over to the bed, glancing at Baiko. "There are woods, not too far from here, called the Lost Woods. It is said that if anyone other than the Kokiri ever go into those woods, they will be lost forever." Her small, gray eyes met Cremia's purple ones. "However, in those woods, there is a tree whose leaves contain something special inside of them. I need seven of those leaves."

"What do they look like?" asked Cremia. She would do whatever she had to for her father. No matter what.

Granny grabbed a photograph out of her bag and took it over to Cremia. "That leaf can only be found in the Lost Woods. But be careful. Ever since Ganondorf came around, those woods have been infested with monsters."

Baiko forced himself to sit up a bit straighter, causing the cloth on his forehead to slide off onto the floor. "No, Cremia," he said weakly. "Don't go."

Granny rolled her eyes. "She should be fine, as long as she doesn't spend days wandering around the Lost Woods." She turned to Baiko's eldest daughter. "Do not, under _any _circumstances, stay in those woods. You must leave them every once in a while, or else something terrible might happen."

Cremia nearly asked what could happen, but decided against it. If she knew, she'd be too scared to go. She took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

Anju barely heard Baiko protesting. She was too distracted by the determination she saw in Cremia's eyes. She wished she was that brave, that strong. Maybe if was so fearless, she could do something so incredibly noble - like finding her brother.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! :D Have an awesome day or night! ^_^**


	7. Chapter VI

**Hi! :) It's hard to believe that it's only been about a week since I last updated. It feels like longer. xD And I realized today that this chapter was actually written in the beginning of January. Time is so confusing sometimes! xD Anyways, I'd like to say a huge thank you to Chaos Wielder and thespiritmaiden for reviewing and thanks to Argen-Lobo-Ridder for following the story! :D It really means a lot, you guys! :) Thanks!**

**Chaos Wielder: Aww! Well, thank you for remembering my stories! ^_^ And I'm sure you'll find a nice place soon. :) My best friend is actually looking for a place to live right now as well, and I'm amazed at how fast he, and everyone I know, is growing up. Someday I'll be the one looking for a house... Scary thought. o_O Anyway! xD Thank you so, so much for reviewing and reading this story! ^_^**

**thespiritmaiden: That made my day. Really, it did. Heck, it made my week. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ^_^ *hands you an internet cookie for your awesomeness***

**The beginning of this chapter starts out with the characters from the prologue. It should be self explanatory, but if any of you are confused about who each character is, feel free to look at the author's note at the bottom. I made a nice, simple list that you can read. It should explain everything. :)**

**Enjoy! ^_^**

* * *

_Chapter VI: _

_Fado and Stalfos and Scares, Oh My!_

"Okay. So? Then what happened?" asked Yuki eagerly during a long pause. "Did Cremia get eaten by a monster in the forest?!"

He looked so happy that, for a moment, the old woman wondered if he'd _wanted_ Cremia to get eaten. She wiped her warm hands on her dress. "Well," she said cheerfully, "how about I go and fix some cookies now, huh?" She stood and headed into the kitchen.

"What? No!" Yuki seemed deeply hurt. "Who wants cookies at a time like this?! Hurry! We need to finish the story!"

"Yeah!" Kira and Riku agreed.

Jin rolled her eyes. "No, we don't. It's just that silly monster story you wanted to hear. This isn't romantic. This probably isn't even real! Besides, the characters are so dumb. Take Anju, for instance. Why should she even care about her brother after he ran away like that?" She sighed. "Speaking of which, it was pretty clever of you guys to put your names in a story that never happened. The little kids might not have noticed, but I did."

The old man was taken aback. It wasn't unusual for people not to believe the story, but he'd never expected his niece to be one of those people. "Jin... it really did happen," he explained.

She snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Was it you, Gramps?" asked Riku, climbing up onto the sofa. He pulled a blanket around him like a cape and stood tall. "Were you G... C... Canon-"

"Ganondorf?"

"Yeah! Was that you?"

The man laughed. "Of course not." Leave it to his grandson to think he was once the all-powerful dictator of Hyrule.

"Then who were you, Gramps?"

He didn't want to answer. He had been so weak back then - definitely not someone his grandchild would want to look up to.

Luckily, he never had to answer, because his sister did for him. "He is Grog." She stood and walked over to them, glancing at Jin. "I am Anju."

Grog's grandchildren didn't give the exact reaction he'd been expecting.

"Grandpa has a name?" Kira questioned.

Riku shrugged. "I always thought his name was Gramps."

Grog chuckled. "The farm girl, Cremia, is your grandmother."

"So..." Yuki trailed off. "That means her sister - the crazy one who believes in aliens - is... Mom!" He looked utterly disturbed. "How come no one has ever mentioned this before?!"

Cremia laughed, coming back into the room with a tray of cookies. "Speaking of Romani, I saw her outside. She should be coming inside in-" She stopped when the front door swung open and her younger sister stepped inside.

"Hello there!" Romani exclaimed, taking her shoes off before taking a seat on the rug like she owned the place. "What're you guys doing?"

Kira hurried over to her great aunt and gave her a big hug. "Grandpa and Grandma are telling us a story!"

"A story? I bet I'm in it!" She winked before ruffling Orenji's hair. "What do you think, Tiger? Should I be in the story?"

Orenju pushed her hand away from his head, but Romani noticed the grin on his face. She liked the kid. He never said a word, so she got to talk all day long sometimes - and he listened.

Cremia pulled the coffee table onto the rug and put the tray of cookies down.

Riku bounced on the couch impatiently as the others lunged for the cookies. "Can we hear the rest of the story now, Gramps?"

Grog nodded, smiling at his wife as she took a seat on the couch. Riku sat down as well, his face showing nothing but excitement.

"Okay. So, the next day," Cremia began, "I was walking through the Lost Woods."

* * *

She was half-expecting to hear the low growls of some kind of dangerous creature. But that's not what she heard.

Instead, the sound of the trees dancing together in the wind as the tiny, forest fairies flew around her almost sounded like music - a beautiful song.

It would have been kind of relaxing if she knew this was a safe, uninhabited area.

She glanced down at her outfit. Romani had forced her to wear pillows on her torso. The small girl had said that pillows would break her fall if she happened to trip.

Granny had advised her to buy a slingshot at that tiny, adorable store where those children played.

Cremia now clung to the small slingshot for her life as she silently wandered around the forest.

Her father had been terribly injured by one of Ganondorf's monsters. If she were to be injured, way out there, all alone... She would never be able to help her family. Baiko would suffer and Romani would be forced to fend for herself.

Cremia's hands clenched into fists and her eyebrows furrowed. No. She wouldn't let that happen - she couldn't. She would force herself to be brave. Nothing would scare her. She could face _anything._

"Hi!"

Cremia jumped back at the sound of the voice and smothered a shriek. _So much for being fearless. _Thinking quickly, she grabbed a deku seed out of her pouch and readied the slingshot.

The short, blond child standing before her had cute pig tails and large, innocent eyes. "You sure are jumpy," the girl commented, not the least bit concerned about the deku seeds.

Cremia was taken aback and slightly lowered her slingshot. "Excuse me?"

"You shouldn't be here."

"Who are you?" Cremia questioned, beyond suspicious. She wouldn't put it past Ganondorf to hire a sweet, yet secretly vicious forest girl to trick people like Cremia.

"I'm Fado," the blond answered. "And you're a Hylian."

"No. Actually, I'm from-"

"No one other than the Kokiri should ever enter the lost woods. Something... bad could happen. Hehe!"

She had a crazy look in her blue eyes and Cremia had a strange feeling about this little girl. She held up her slingshot again. "Look, I don't know why you're here or what you want from me, but I don't have time for this. I'm searching for something."

Fado seemed to be curious. "What are you looking for?"

Cremia slowly lowered her slingshot once more and pulled a photograph out of her pouch. She reluctantly handed it to the smaller girl. "My father... He's hurt. The only way I can help him is to find those leaves. Can you please tell me where to get some?" She hated even explaining such a thing to a total stranger, but this little girl was her only hope. She could search for days and still never find the leaves, but Fado more than likely knew exactly where they were located.

Fado's eyebrows furrowed as she stared down at the picture in her hands. "This is a leaf from the forest! You can't take it!"

Cremia was slightly taken aback. "But you don't understand! It's for-"

She stopped when Fado took off running with the photo. "Hey!" Cremia shouted, chasing after her. "Get back here! I need that!"

Her confusion quickly turned into frustration as she ran after Fado, who was surprisingly fast.

Maybe that forest girl wasn't working for Ganondorf, but she certainly wasn't looking to help anyone either.

To make a long story short, Cremia ended up chasing the girl for a long time, but, eventually, she was far too tired to keep up and she could no longer hear the sounds of the other girl's footsteps.

She fell to her knees on the ground, trying to catch her breath. Without that photo, she might never find the leaves she was looking for. "Father," she whispered hopelessly, "I'm _so _sorry."

She looked up in time to notice a clearing in the middle of the woods in front of her. Something was placed in the middle of the clearing - something that looked like a house made out of various tree branches.

At first, she thought maybe it was her imagination running wild - maybe she'd been in the forest too long already.

But when she heard noises coming from the house-looking thing, she decided it was real.

Getting to her feet, the farm girl cautiously started toward the house. She knew there could be anything inside of that place, but maybe there was someone there who could actually help her.

She clenched her hands into fists and bravely stepped forward into the silence of the home.

She stifled a gasp when she looked around. The house - such a simple place built with simple things - was spotless. It was a little dusty, and the couch on the far side of the room seemed to be falling apart, but other than that, the home was very nice - even adorable.

"Maybe this is Fado's house," she whispered, walking further into the room.

She stopped in front of a desk and picked up one of the many books scattered about.

_The Curse of the Lost Woods. By K.R. Forrest._

She flipped through the old pages, but didn't find much else except more dust. She set the book back on the desk before glancing around the house again. "Hello?" she called. Surely someone helpful would have such a nice home. "Is anyone here?"

She listened carefully, but heard nothing more than the whistling wind outside. "I guess not." She carefully untied the pillow armor Romani had wanted her to wear and tossed the pillows onto the sofa.

_If only this place wasn't in the Lost Woods, _she thought, content. _Dad, Romani, and I could live here - away from the monsters and the craziness of Hyrule._

She smiled to herself, forgetting all about her previous worry. She slowly sat down on the sofa, admiring how nice this place really was. She was running her hand over the nice couch fabric when she spotted someone - or something - in her peripheral vision.

She looked up. The head that had been peeking around the doorway of another room disappeared immediately.

She stood, surprised at the fact the house truly did have an owner. "Oh, so you live here?" She hadn't gotten a good look at the person's face, but she was pretty sure it wasn't Fado. "I didn't mean to intrude. I was looking for something and I found this place."

There was no reply.

Cremia stopped walking a few feet away from the doorway. Maybe some forest children were very shy, unlike Fado. "Um... Well, I could use some help finding the le-" She stopped herself. "Finding what I was looking for."

Still no response.

She laughed. "Come on out. I won't hurt you." She made a point to take the slingshot and deku seeds out of her pouch and toss them onto the couch. "See? Everything's fine."

She could hear soft, almost silent, footsteps coming from the other room. She smiled, taking a few steps back to meet her new friend.

"Hi! I'm-" she started, before the person even emerged from the room. Her breath caught in her throat, though, when out came a somewhat tall Stalfos.

Before the monster could even react, Cremia involuntarily let out a high-pitched scream, disturbing the silence that once rested in the area.

The Stalfos, oddly enough, looked taken aback, but Cremia wasted no time.

In seconds, she had snatched her slingshot and deku nuts off of the couch and aimed one at the monster standing before her. "Stay back!"

The Stalfos cautiously took a couple steps back and Cremia took pride in the fact that she had the upper hand this time around. She tried to look fierce as she tightened her grip on the slingshot. "Now get back into that room!" When the Stalfos hesitated, she loudly added, "NOW!"

The Stalfos, surprisingly, obeyed and slowly went back into the room.

Cremia slammed the door shut behind him. "Y-You better stay in there!" she ordered. To make sure that happened, she sank down to the floor and put her back against the door. "Just stay quiet and _don't you dare _try to escape!"

She sounded awfully fearless, but she was beyond scared. Her heart was pounding and she feared she'd never get out of that house. Her father needed her and she was failing him. Again. Staring up at the ceiling, she sighed quietly. _Dad, just hang on. I'll be there as soon as I can._

Outside, Fado grinned mischievously to herself. Her plan had worked perfectly. That Stalfos owed her a big thanks for this. She glanced down at the photograph in her hands. Maybe she'd keep it a little bit longer. After all, Cremia might end up needing Grog just as much as he needed her.

* * *

**Grog and Cremia's grandchildren: Riku and Kira.**

**Romani's children: Jin and Yuki.**

**Anju and Kafei's adopted great grandchild: Orenji.**

**Make sense? ;D**

**Thanks so much for reading! ^_^**

**[Oh! I figured now would be a nice time to type this. I meant to write it in an earlier author's not, but I'd forgotten about it. If anyone is looking for some awesome fanfictions to read, PLEASE READ _"The Imprisoning War"_ by Jane O'Callaghan (Grog's in that story, too ;D) and/or _"Dragon Sword"_ by Ceu Praca. Those authors are amazing and I love their stories so, so much! Hopefully they won't mind me mentioning their stories in the author's note... o_O I just think great authors deserve great recognition for their awesomeness. So, check those stories out if you get a chance! ^_^]**


	8. Chapter VII

**Hi! :D I really apologize for not updating in a month! :O March was the busiest month I've had in a LONG time _and _I had writer's block for the tenth chapter of this. Honestly, I wouldn't have updated this even now if it weren't for the fact that it's been so long. But I felt like updating would help me relax a bit and actually finish chapter ten! So, with that said, here's chapter seven! :D**

**But first! Thanks SO much to thespiritmaiden, Chaos Wielder, and Jane O'Callaghan for reviewing the last chapter! It means a lot! ^_^ Also thank you to "DayDreamerKnight" (I love your username) for following the story! ^_^ And thanks to Gorgonaut 55 for adding this to his or her favorites! :) If I forgot anyone, I apologize again. xD**

**thespiritmaiden: I love your new profile picture! ^_^ It's so pretty! Also, I started reading "A Love Story," but I haven't finished it yet. It's incredibly cute so far! :) Thanks for suggesting those stories and for reviewing! :D**

**Chaos Wielder: Thanks so much for reviewing! ^_^ I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Hopefully you'll enjoy this one as well! :) I've been noticing that more and more people are starting to actually care about Grog. Someone sent me a link to something on deviantART where someone had drawn a beautiful picture of Grog for Easter. It made me so happy. ^_^ I'm glad the awesome guy is getting a little more attention! :D  
**

**So, thanks for waiting patiently! :) I hope all of you enjoy this chapter! ^_^**

* * *

_Chapter VII: _

_Found, but Still Lost_

_How long have I been in here? _Grog wondered, looking around the silent room.

He glanced back at the door. That girl - he'd never seen her before, not in the forest or the village. She was a tough one, that's for sure. She was nothing at all like the girls back in Kakariko or Castle Town. He'd been in that room for hours now and she still hadn't left.

He was really curious about how she'd managed to wander all the way into that part of the woods, but he never asked. If he startled her, he could be in trouble. But if she stayed there for too long, she could be in even worse trouble.

Taking a deep breath, he sat down and leaned against the door behind him. "Hey," he spoke quietly.

He heard her move on the other side. "So you _can _talk?" She sounded just as angry as she'd been earlier - maybe even more so now. "What do you want?"

"You need to get out of here," he advised. "It's dangerous."

She snorted. "Yeah, no kidding." He could practically see her, glaring at him. "Look, I'm not stupid. If I leave, you'll escape, and I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

He was taken aback. "You're hurt?"

"Like you'd care," she muttered. "You're all the same."

He inwardly sighed. She didn't even know who he'd been before and yet she already hated him. He stared down at his bony hands. Maybe she'd had a bad encounter with a Stalfos before.

_A bad encounter..._

If he suddenly became angry out of no where like before, she would be in a great deal of danger.

"Listen," he began urgently, "you have to let me out of here."

"Why should I?" she snapped. It seemed she was more annoyed than afraid by now. That could be good _or _bad.

Grog took a deep breath, getting to his feet and facing the door. "If anyone other than the Kokiri enter these woods, they'll-"

She cut him off. "I know," she replied, sounding like the curse really _had _just occurred to her. "But I can't worry about that right now."

"Why are you here?"

For a long time, she didn't say anything. In fact, he was beginning to think she wasn't going to at all. But when she finally answered, her voice was soft, "My father... He was injured when we came to Hyrule. There's something in this forest that can help him." She was quiet for a few moments. "It was monsters like you who did that to him..."

Grog's eyes widened a bit. This girl, someone who hated him, already knew more about his future than he did. She knew what real Stalfos were like, what they did, the lives they ruined. That's what he could be someday - a monster. That's what he already was.

He heard Cremia stand up and, suddenly, the door in front of him was jerked open. Now he was standing face-to-face with an angry farm girl. Her hands were clenched into fists around her slingshot and deku nuts. She was a bit shorter than him. Her red hair flowed down past her shoulders gracefully. And her eyes, although angry, were even more beautiful than Princess Zelda could have ever been.

He swallowed and looked away.

Cremia was a bit surprised at how she wasn't afraid of this dangerous creature. However, she was even more taken aback at how he seemed like he didn't want to hurt her - he didn't even move.

She shook her head and forced the scowl back onto her face. "Look," she began firmly, "it's because of you that I'm even out here right now. It's because of you that I'm in this house instead of saving my dad!"

Grog's white eyes darted to meet her purple ones. He understood her pain, but even so, she had _no _right to blame him for things beyond his control. "It's not my fault your dad got hurt. And it's not my fault _you _decided to come here. I-"

"You know what? You can go tell Ganondorf that I'm tired of this mess. He and his minions can die for all I care." She made a point to shove him backwards, causing him to stumble a bit and fall. "That includes you."

He stared up at her, biting back everything he wanted to scream at her right then. She didn't understand. She had no clue all he had to worry about, everything he had to take into consideration as he tried to _stop _himself from becoming the monster she was talking about.

"Well?" she asked through clenched teeth. He noticed the pain in her eyes, even through her tough, angry facade. "Aren't you going to defend your friends, your leader?"

Grog, although he wanted nothing more than to be furious with the girl standing in front of him, couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Something terrible had happened in her life. Her father was hurt and all she wanted to do was help him. Grog knew he'd be the same way if something ever happened to Anju.

"No," he finally answered. "All Ganondorf does is destroy people's lives. Defending him would be stupid."

Cremia wasn't sure what she'd been expecting him to say, but that certainly wasn't it. Her jaw clenched, but she was at a loss for words. "Um, y-you're right. It would be."

He, realizing he'd said something right for once, slowly stood up, being careful not to startle her. "I don't know what happened to your dad, or how you ended up here, but I'm sorry." He stared at the floor, hoping that being sincere could win her trust. "You have every right to be angry."

She was trying to decide whether or not she should trust him when she noticed something about his eyes. Maybe she was imagining it, but they somehow looked... familiar. They were downcast, so she couldn't get a great look at them, but she felt as though she'd seen those eyes before.

Feeling her staring at him, Grog looked up to meet her gaze. Quickly, she resumed her glare and tried to look fearless again. "Okay, look," she said firmly, "I'll spare your life since you have spared mine, but I don't want to see you - _ever _again."

Grog thought about mentioning how she was the one who'd entered the house in the first place, but decided that now wouldn't be a good time to bring that up.

Instead, he brought up something that really mattered. "Fine," he replied, "but only on one condition."

She eyed him suspiciously. She should've known he'd want something in return. He might disagree with Ganondorf, but he was still a whole lot like the older man. "What?" she questioned tightly.

"You leave this forest," he replied. "It's dangerous out here and wandering around will only get you lost. Leave the forest and don't come back if you don't want to see me again. Don't _ever_ come back into these woods."

Cremia was going ot ask why he was being so adamant about her leaving the Lost Woods, but decided against it. She would leave - maybe she could find those special leaves someplace else.

"The woods behind this house will lead you back to Hyrule Field," he explained. "Take that path and you won't get lost. Try to get home before nightfall."

"Fine, but if I see even _one _sign of trouble, you'll be the one I'll blame. And I'll come back for you."

Her eyes were blazing with anger and, for a second, he was afraid. He reassured himself that she'd be all right, though. "Be safe."

She nodded curtly before leaving the room. _Did he just... help me?_

* * *

"He... what?"

Anju's concerned tone of voice was the first thing Cremia heard when she stepped into the house late that night.

Since she'd, reluctantly, taken Grog's advice, she'd gotten home much earlier than she would have if she'd gone through the Lost Woods. She was exhausted, but she somehow still wanted to hear the conversation.

Granny and Anju didn't seem to notice her when she entered the room. The rest of the house was silent, so Cremia assumed they'd all gone to bed already.

"You heard me," Granny snapped. "That bum wandered off into the woods. It's his own fault, making these idiotic decisions."

Anju shook her head, as if refusing to believe her grandmother. "He didn't," she whispered. "He wouldn't."

"Of course he would. We just didn't think it would happen so soon. That kid was always begging for trouble."

Cremia finally spoke up. "Who?"

"That clueless brother of hers."

Remembering the pictures and all the things the villagers had said of the boy, Cremia suddenly became interested in the conversation. "You know where he is?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes, we do," Granny answered, sighing. "But we're not sure if he still remains there."

"Well, is there..." she trailed off, watching Anju walk over to the coat rack and pull a coat off of it. "What are you doing?"

Anju turned to face them, pulling her coat on as she did so. There was a fire in her eyes, one Cremia had never seen before. "I'm going to find my brother. He's probably still out there somewhere."

"Don't be stupid," Granny told her, rolling her eyes. "That was months ago - there's no way he could've survived that long!"

"It's very possible that the curse took longer to take affect," Anju said. "If there's any chance that he might still be out there somewhere, I must find him."

"That bum _wanted _to be lost," Granny explained. "There's no way you can save a fool!"

Anju's hands clenched into fists. "I'm going to find him - no matter what." She turned and started toward the door.

"Fine, then!" Granny shouted, successfully pretending like she didn't care. "You'll be lost forever with him!"

Anju said nothing. She only grabbed the doorknob and took a deep breath. This was it. She was going to save Grog.

Cremia glanced back and forth between the two of them. Why wasn't Granny doing anything to stop her grandchild?

"Wait!" the farm girl called out to Anju before she could think twice. "Don't go!"

Anju sighed. "I have to."

"No." Cremia knew they'd think she was crazy, but she also knew what needed to be done. After all, she owed the family for their kindness and hospitality. "I'll go."

"Cre-" Anju began.

"I'm searching there, anyway, for those leaves. I can look for your brother as well. I survived in the woods today. Going back tomorrow wouldn't hurt anything. Besides, I've been wanting to meet this brother of yours."

Anju thought for a moment before shaking her head. "That's a generous offer, Cremia, but I could never ask something so big of you. I can go - I'll be fine."

"Please." Cremia had a pleading look in her eyes. "I don't mind. I _want _to."

Anju opened her mouth to politely refuse, but Granny interrupted her.

"Just let her go." She rolled her eyes as she ran a hand through her gray hair. She glanced at Cremia. "Jeez, child. You're just like that thick headed punk. You're out to ruin your life."

Cremia ignored the old woman. She and the mysterious teen were alike in some ways, but their reasoning behind things were complete opposites. He'd gone into the Lost Woods to forget his life. She was going back to _save _a life - possibly two. Grog and Cremia couldn't be more different from each other.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! ^_^ And now I'm already excited about the next chapter. xD This is definitely a fun story to write.**


	9. Chapter VIII

**Hey, guys! :) I apologize again! I've had A LOT going on lately. That, combined with a bit of "writer's block," has kept me from updating this like I should. I don't really believe in writer's block, but I'm not sure what to call it when I don't feel like writing something and lack inspiration for it. xD Anyway! :D I'm trying to get better about updating and writing. This weekend will be super busy for me, though, so I figured I'd update today. That way I won't keep you guys waiting any longer than you have to. Besides, I love this chapter, so... XD**

**Thanks a whole bunch to Kate499 for following this story and adding it to her favorites! ^_^ And a special thanks to the lovely, amazing people who reviewed: Chaos Wielder, Jane O'Callaghan, and thespiritmaiden! You guys are really awesome! You make me want to write. 3 :) Really, I love y'all. :)  
**

**And without further ado, here is Chapter Eight! ^_^**

* * *

_Chapter VIII:_

_Of Rescues and Danger_

"Heads up!" came Fado's sweet, cheerful voice. She tossed two paper airplanes at the Stalfos sitting outside, beneath a large tree.

He caught both planes before looking back up at her. "Fado." He sounded surprised to see her. After all, he hadn't seen the forest girl since he'd first transformed into a Stalfos, months ago. "What're you doing here?"

"Unfold the airplane and you'll find out."

He gave her a skeptical stare before carefully unfolding each of the airplanes. Both were photographs - one of an odd-looking leaf and the other . . . of him and Anju.

His breath caught in his throat and he couldn't speak at first. "Where did you get this?" he asked hoarsely, trying to keep his mind on the present as memories of his sister came flooding back into his mind. Anju smiling; Anju taking care of those cuccos, even though she was allergic to them; her trying to comfort him; her cooking dinner, even though the food would surely taste terrible.

Fado blinked, her smile only going wider. "Your princess is back. You know? That red headed country girl who came here yesterday? Yeah. She's back . . . and apparently she's looking for you."

Grog shook his head, trying to make sense out of all of this. "Why would she . . . How did she . . .?" He swallowed, trying his best to make sense out of all of this. "I thought I told her to stay away from here."

Fado's head cocked to one side as she listened to something else in the woods. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Shoot," she muttered before going over to Grog and snatching the photos out of his hands. "I should go now. That girl followed me too closely. She's on her way here."

Grog was on his feet in seconds, searching for a place to hide. "Anju must've sent her here. I can't let her find me."

He stopped talking when he realized Fado had already left. He continued looking for a hiding place. He would be trapped if that farm girl found him in the house. But there wasn't a lot of other places to go. If he ran further into the forest, the girl would catch him, but if he ran away from her, he'd end up in Hyrule Field, where he could be taken as Ganondorf's prisoner - early.

Making a split-second decision, he raced toward the woods of Hyrule. Maybe he could stay in the forest part of Hyrule and still be fine. If Cremia found him, though, Anju could be in danger.

He decided he'd hide in a shady area, only halfway down the pathway that led to Hyrule Field.

Cremia should have listened. It was too dangerous in the forest - for both of them.

* * *

"I guess he's not home," Cremia muttered softly as she exited the house. She'd searched it top to bottom, but the Stalfos was no where to be found.

As much as she hated to admit it, she needed his help. That thieving little girl had stolen the photos she needed to continue her search.

And, unforunately, the only one Cremia could trust in the entire forest was the one who was supposed to be her enemy. Ironic, right?

She sighed, scanning the area around her. Where could a monster possibly go? Did he have any friends? Was he Fado's sidekick or something?

She jumped when she heard footsteps coming from somewhere close by. "Who's there?" she called. "Fado? Stalfos?"

No one responded, but something inside of her said that something was wrong - _very _wrong.

And even though her instincts said to run, she stayed where she was.

Something was coming - and it didn't sound like Fado.

* * *

"We've already passed this tree, three times."

"No, we haven't."

"Are you kidding me? It's got the same leaves and everything!"

"This is a forest, Takeo. All the trees look the same."

"No . . . I'm positive it's the exact tree we saw ten minutes ago."

Katashi sighed. This is why he'd wanted to take Sora with him. But _no. _The boss was bound and determined to stick him with the idiots - every freaking time.

And how could they have passed that one tree three times when they'd pretty much been walking in a straight line since they'd entered the woods?

Silence lasted for only a second as the two Stalfos continued through the forest.

"You know what Ganondork di-" Takeo began, but Katashi interrupted him.

"I wouldn't talk about him that way. Walls have ears."

"What do you . . . "

Katashi pointed a bony finger at a figure crouched behind a tree.

Grog, realizing he'd been found out, slowly stood up. This wasn't good. They'd found him. Fado was right - he'd be taken as prisoner to live a life of torture and pain.

It wasn't like he was going to find love in nine more months, anyway, but he wasn't ready to be taken away yet. Not now.

He would have to run. But where to go, he had no idea.

"What're you doing out here, rookie?" Katashi asked, catching him off guard. "I know you're new, but don't be stupid. Boss sent us out here to show these forest people just who they should fear. Don't you have something else you should be doing?"

They had mistaken him for someone else. _Thank goodness. _He nodded. "Uh . . . Yes. I'll be going, then."

"Wait!" Takeo turned to his partner. "Let's take him along with us! He could help out a little and we could show 'im just how this job works. We can even bring Boss the body of a dead forest kid. I bet he'd be thrilled about that!"

Grog froze. They were going to kill someone? What had the Kokiri ever done to them? What kind of sick, twisted person would want to go around killing innocent people? His hands clenched into fists. He had to do something, but what?

Takeo stepped closer and jerked Grog over to him. "No need to thank me. Just try and stay out of the way and let us handle everything."

"Who's there?" a voice suddenly called out, not too far away from them.

It was Cremia.

Katashi and Takeo exchanged a look that only angered Grog. "That ain't no forest girl," Takeo said. They could see her down the path from where they were standing, even though she hadn't caught sight of them yet. "But the boss would be even more proud if we brought _her _back to the castle."

Katashi smirked. "You have a point." He started down the path quickly. "C'mon. She won't know what hit her."

Grog watched with horror as both Stalfos pulled out knives. Cremia was just bound and determined to get herself into trouble, wasn't she?

Thinking fast, he ran forward to catch up with the other two. "Wait," he said, trying to sound confident instead of terrified. He was failing miserably. "Step aside. I, uh . . . I'll handle this one."

"_Please._" Katashi rolled his eyes, shoving Grog out of the way. "You don't even have a weapon, rookie."

Grog looked up. They were getting closer and Cremia still hadn't spotted them. "Who needs weapons?" he asked, just before he took off running toward the farm girl.

He didn't hear the other Stalfos chasing after him, so he figured he'd bought himself enough time.

Cremia didn't see him, or recognize him, until he was only inches away from her, leaping through the air only to tackle her to the ground.

"Stay down," he ordered quietly as she struggled to push him off her.

"What's _wrong _with you?" she grunted, finally managing a hard kick to his ribs.

He hissed in a breath as she moved out of his grasp and got back to her feet. She failed to notice the two Stalfos behind her, for she was too confused about how strange Grog had been acting. "Is this why you told me never to come back?"

She honestly believed he was attempting to kill her, just as the Stalfos in Castle Town had. She pulled out her slingshot and aimed a deku seed at him. "Sorry, but I'm not going to die," she growled.

By now, the Stalfos behind her had raised their knives and they were just about to end her life when Grog jumped up and pulled her to him, wrapping an arm firmly around her neck, trying to stop shaking. "I told you, I've got this," he said to his "partners." He started backing up toward the house. Cremia tried to break free from his grip, but she only succeeded in choking herself a bit. "Go get Ganondorf, both of you. This girl isn't from around here. We'll get even more credit for killing her if he's here when we do it."

"What?!" Cremia shouted, flailing a bit to try and escap Grog's grasp. She pushed and kicked, but he never let go.

Katashi and Takeo exchanged a suspicious look. "How do we know you won't just run away when we're gone?" asked Takeo slowly, looking anxious to use that knife of his.

Grog rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid. I know how happy the boss will be. Who would pass up a chance like that?" For once he was glad he'd had to lie to his dad so much back in the village. He sounded very convincing now. He glanced over his shoulder. "Bring Boss back here - we'll be in the house."

Cremia nearly broke free, but Grog pulled her back over to him, keeping his arm firmly around her neck for extra measure.

Katashi turned to Takeo. "All right. We'll go get the boss, then." He glanced back at Grog. "You better not just be messing with us, though."

"Don't worry." Grog disappeared with Cremia around the house and stayed silent until he heard the Stalfos running off back down the path they'd come from. He didn't release Cremia until she stomped on his bony foot, putting all her weight onto it.

Whirling around, she shoved him as hard as she could. He fell backwards onto the ground, just as he'd done the day before.

"I can't believe I thought I could trust you!" she yelled.

He was beginning to think being in the presence of an angry farm girl was far worse than being tortured by Ganondorf.

"You were just _pretending _to be harmless!" the red head continued. "You're just as bad as the rest of them - maybe even worse!"

Grog slowly got to his feet. Katashi and Takeo would come back if she didn't stay quiet. "Keep your voice down," he whispered.

"Why should I?!" she snapped, her purple eyes glaring holes into him.

"I'm not gonna kill you," he explained. "I was buying us time. We have to get out of here before they come back."

Cremia was skeptical at first, but suddenly felt a little guilty. His eyes said he was telling the truth. Here she was yelling at a guy who'd just saved her life. She must have sounded like a jerk.

Grog grabbed her hand and started toward the Lost Woods.

"If we stay here, they'll capture us. We need to find Fado."

"You know Fado?"

"Yeah. She can help us."

* * *

"You _what?_"

"He only did it to save me," Cremia jumped in. She no longer cared about getting her photos back from the young girl. All she cared about now was getting out of those woods safely.

Fado glared up at the two of them, her hands on her hips. "That wasn't a smart move," she told them. "They'll rip that house apart if you two aren't there - even after Link and Saria worked so hard on it. And let's not forget about the fact you've just put the whole forest in danger!"

"I didn't-" Grog began.

"I know. But the Stalfos will tear these woods apart looking for _both _of you. The Kokiri are already terrified of monsters and the last thing _you _need is Ganondorf sending out a search party for you. Do you know what'll happen if he finds you?"

Grog closed his eyes and sighed.

The blond girl turned to Cremia. "It's not safe here anymore. You need to leave."

Cremia glanced from Fado to Grog and back again. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "No. I'm not leaving. I came here to find someone and my dad still needs those leaves."

"Well, they're forest leaves and you can't have them," Fado replied stubbornly.

Cremia rolled her eyes at the smaller girl and opened her mouth to say more, but she was interrupted by Grog.

"Fado's right. You should leave," he told her. "She can show you out of the woods when she goes to evacuate the village."

Fado raised her eyebrows at him. "Where are you going?"

"I have to hide and I can't leave the woods."

Cremia stared at him incredulously. "You can't stay here. They'll find you!"

"I have no other choice." He glanced at Fado. "Make sure everyone stays safe." Turning, he started deeper into the forest. He knew they'd catch him, no matter what he did, but knowing that he'd saved a life somehow made it worth it. He'd actually accomplished something in his life. He would've smiled if he hadn't been so terrified.

Suddenly, he heard running footsteps coming toward him and Cremia appeared next to him. "You have to get out of here," she said.

"I can't."

"Come to the village with me; you'll be safe there."

"No. Go home."

He hadn't stopped walking and she had to hurry to keep up with him. "I'm not leaving without you."

Grog didn't have to look to know she was serious. She probably felt like she owed him or something like that, but even if she did, she was being ridiculous, in his opinion. He sighed. "You said you have a family, right? Get back home to them."

"Not without you."

He stepped over a pile of twigs. "Look, you don't owe me anything. So, just get out of here - quickly."

"And leave you here to be killed?" She raised her eyebrows at him, trying not to trip as they moved between trees and over roots. "Yeah, right."

He finally stopped and turned to face her, his white eyes blazing with firmness and frustration like never before. "I don't want you to get killed either," he explained. He jerked a thumb in the direction they'd come from. "Those Stalfos are horrible, disgusting creatures and whether I like it or not, I'm one of them. Okay? I deserve whatever's coming to me. You, on the other hand, can't be put into so much danger. You have a life, people who care about you. I saved your life so you can _live. _Now _leave._" It was the most he'd said at one time in his whole life, but he didn't regret a word of it.

Cremia was a bit taken aback by this, but her hands clenched into fists again and she glared up at him. "You're not the only one trying to save lives around here, macho man. I came here for my father and I'm not leaving until I can save him." She paused, choosing her next words carefully. "I don't know why our paths have crossed, or why you can't leave the forest, but I wasn't raised to leave people behind. And if someone's in trouble, I'm going to help him."

Grog wished she'd just leave, but, of course, that didn't happen. "You can't help me."

She stared up at him, so much determination in her eyes that it almost freaked him out. "I will."

He opened his mouth to argue again, but that was when he was suddenly tackled to the ground. He felt a bone crack at the force and looked up to see a terrified Cremia standing next to him.

They'd talked for too long.

They were now under attack.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! ^_^ 3 You'll be happy to know that today I discovered my "writer's block" is over and I am now able to write this story with no problems at all! :D**


	10. Chapter IX

**Hey, everyone! :D I had been so busy I'd actually forgotten about typing up the next chapter of this. SO much has been going on lately. I really should get back to writing. I'll be gone for a week this month, though, and some pretty huge changes are going on in my life, so I'm getting my priorities straight. Updating is on the list of priorities, but it has some other super important stuff before it. Just don't lose hope. I am still writing, believe it or not. ;)**

**Anyway! I'd like to thank everyone who is still reading! :D Also, this story officially has THIRTY REVIEWS! That's so amazing. You guys really have no idea how incredible you all are. Thank you so much. ^_^ It means a lot to me that you guys would take the time to write a review and encourage me in more ways than one. I love all of you. 3 :) Also, thanks to everyone who followed and favorited (new word!) this story! You guys are simply amazing! ^_^**

**Demon Princess of Time: You're such a sweetheart! ^_^ Your reviews really made me smile and I enjoyed reading each and every one of them! :) I appreciate your kind words very much! And thank you so much for reading this story! :D**

**Chaos Wielder: Awww! Thank you so much! :D I love filling in personalities, especially for Zelda characters. xD Thank you very much for noticing. :) As usual, I appreciate your reviews and you're awesome! Thank you! ^_^**

**thespiritmaiden: xD I made you wait for a month on a cliffy. WHAT KIND OF AUTHOR AM I?! :P Anyway, thank you so, so much for your review! I really appreciate it! :) 3 You're so sweet!**

**Jane O'Callaghan: I couldn't remember if I ever PMed you to say thank you for the review, so I'll just say it again here. xD THANK YOU! ^_^ It's sweet, and yet hilarious, how you said you like how _I _write Fado. xD I think we've established that you are the best at writing Fado. ^_^ She was so amazing in your story! :D Still, though, it's an honor receiving a compliment from my favorite writer, so thank you, dear! ^_^ I appreciate your review very much. :)**

**Oh no! O_O LONG AUTHOR'S NOTES ARE BACK! THIS IS TERRIBLE! Well, maybe not. xD The next one will be shorter, I promise. 3 I love all of you and I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! ^_^**

* * *

_Chapter IX:_

_Trapped_

There were two sides to all of this: A bright side and a not-so-bright side.

The bright side: Only one Stalfos was there - and that was the one who'd tackled Grog.

The not-so-bright side: Grog was pinned down on the ground and Cremia had no idea what to do at a time like this. Sure, she'd ran when her family was attacked in Castle Town, but that was when no one was being held down by a vicious beast.

She glanced over her shoulder, but Fado was no where in sight. She was on her own this time.

"I knew you were a traitor!" It was Takeo who'd tackled Grog. Grog was struggling beneath the stronger Stalfos, but he knew he was no match - especially not when he'd hurt his arm during the fall. "Just wait 'til Boss gets here! You'll be sorry you were ever born!"

Grog didn't reply. He was too busy watching Cremia bravely pull out her slingshot. "Run!" he shouted. "If you want to help me, leave!"

Cremia hesitated at first. Romani and her father needed her - she couldn't risk getting hurt. But, at the same time, she knew she couldn't leave Grog. He'd never make it out of this okay, not on his own. Besides, if Ganondorf was coming, this would be the perfect opportunity for revenge.

Pulling the slingshot back, she shot a deku seed directly at Takeo. It didn't hurt him much, maybe it stung a little, but it caught him off guard enough for him to loosen his grip on Grog.

Grog shoved Takeo off of him before quickly getting to his feet.

"Come on," he said to Cremia. "We have to go." He was about to head deeper into the woods, but she stopped him.

"No." She was clutching the slingshot so tightly in her hands that her knuckles were turning white. "I'm staying. I have to take care of Ganondorf - for good."

Clearly, she didn't know what the Gerudo man was capable of, but Grog decided not to mention that just yet. Takeo was already standing up and they only had seconds to get out of there.

Grabbing Cremia's hand with his good one, Grog raced past a bewildered Takeo, leaving Cremia no choice but to come with him. He was expecting her to jerk her hand away and run right back into the arms of danger, but she didn't. Maybe she wasn't entirely clueless.

She kept up with him well, both of them making quick turns, when necessary, to keep Takeo from catching up with them.

Cremia, although she would've never said so, was nearly quaking with fear. Every nightmare she'd had since her father was injured in Castle Town suddenly came rushing back into her mind, terrifying her all over again. She gripped Grog's hand tightly. Never in her life did she think she'd be running _from _a Stalfos _with _a Stalfos. Romani would never believe her, if she were to tell this story.

Glancing over her shoulder, she found that Takeo was still chasing after them and, now, another Stalfos had joined him. "They're getting closer," she told Grog, trying to pick up her pace.

"There!" He pointed a bony finger in the direction of a tree that had a huge hole in the bottom of the trunk - a hole big enough for two people to get through.

Cremia knew they were more or less setting themselves up for disaster, but she also knew they couldn't run forever.

They turned down a path to the right and reached the tree in a matter of seconds. Grog pushed Cremia in front of him. "You first." He glanced back at the other Stalfos, who were only yards away by now.

Cremia hesitated, but slowly started toward the trunk. She gasped when, suddenly, she fell down right in front of the tree. "There's a whole in the ground - a big one," she explained. "I think I twisted my ankle."

Grog's eyes went wide. Now was not the time for this. "Can you get into the tree, or are you stuck?"

"No. I can get in." She crawled clumsily into the large hole.

He bent down as well, careful not to trip the way she had, and followed. It was a small space, but at least they'd be safe.

Once he was inside, Grog pulled a large piece of wood over to block the entrance, engulfing them in complete darkness. As far as plans went, this was a terrible one. But it was better than nothing and they were safe for the time being.

Cremia could hear Takeo and the other Stalfos approaching the tree and tried not to smirk when one of them cried out in pain after he fell into the hole. It'd probably broken that bony leg of his. Pulling out the flashlight Romani had ordered her to take, she turned it on, the small light illuminating the trunk of the tree. Tiny bugs crawled around them, and the rough bark looked like it was at least one hundred years old, but she wasn't about to complain. They had light and they were safe. That was what mattered now.

"I guess this light should work for a while."

Grog nodded. "Is your leg okay?"

"Well, it's actually my ankle," she replied, glancing down at it. "I probably can't walk right now, but it doesn't look like I'll need to."

The two sat in silence for a little while. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it wasn't quite a scared silence, either. They were both relieved, even if only for a moment, that they were okay.

"Did you hurt your arm?" she questioned.

He shrugged, but she shined the light on it, anyway. It was definitely fractured - and pretty bad, at that. She had no idea what to do, though. He was a Stalfos and it wasn't like the trunks of trees just came with medical equipment. She sighed. "We'll have to work on this later. If we ever get out of here."

He shifted in his spot uncomfortably, trying to put at least a little bit of room between him and her. But that didn't help at all and it was awkward sitting so close to someone he barely knew. "Hopefully you're not claustrophobic."

She laughed, staring at the makeshift door. They could be trapped in that stupid tree for a long time. She nearly shuddered at the thought, but she was thankful for the fact that Grog wasn't trying to kill her. "No. Not yet, anyway." She tried to change the subject, because she could sense how awkward he was feeling about all of this. "So, what's your name?" It was strange to think that she'd yet to learn it, even though the two of them had been spending a lot of time together. She wanted to know, even though she couldn't imagine what one would name a Stalfos.

He didn't answer. If she knew who he really was, Anju could find him. And she would be put into danger as well. It was bad enough that Cremia had gotten dragged into this mess. The last thing he needed was for his own sister to get involved.

She shined the flashlight at his face, causing him to squint. "You don't talk much, do you?" She smirked. "Well, my name is Cremia. We might as well talk, since we're gonna be here for a while."

He watched as she sighed, looking about as hopeless as he felt. Yes, they were safe. But no, they couldn't last forever inside of a tree.

"I came here looking for some leaves that could heal my father," she began.

"What exactly happened to him?"

"When we first came to Hyrule, we were attacked by Stalfos and some other monsters. He was injured and didn't get help soon enough. His leg is infected and he needs a new potion, which we can't make until I find those leaves." She shook her head bitterly, her red hair shining in the simple light of the flashlight. "Then . . . Well, my friend, Anju, had a brother who ran off and went missing."

Grog's breath caught in his throat and he had to force himself to breathe. Anju. This girl knew Anju. She knew about him. Fado had been right - Cremia truly _was _searching for him.

He closed his eyes. Out of everyone in the whole forest, why did he have to be stuck in a tree with the one person who knew Anju?

"It's been over three months since he disappeared," she went on, seeming to be deep in thought. "I think about him a lot - which is crazy, considering I don't even know him. No one in the village really liked him."

Grog looked away, trying to swallow every pain that was welling up in his chest right then. If he didn't know better, he would've darted out of that tree trunk right then and put as much distance between him and the farm girl as possible. He was putting everyone in danger just by sitting next to her.

"I don't know why, though," she said. "He wasn't like everyone else, but there was something about him that made him . . . special."

His eyes widened and he couldn't speak for a few, long moments. ". . .What?"

Cremia smiled softly. "He was special."

"You don't even know m- him." He sighed without meaning to. "He could be a terrible person. For all you know, you'd hate him if you two really met."

She shook her head. "No. I don't even know his name, but I know everyone is wrong about him. He's not what they say he is."

They stayed quiet for several long moments, until he finally spoke up. "It's Grog."

Her head snapped up and she stared at him in surprise. "What?"

"My name . . . It's Grog."

She smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Grog." She shook his good hand with her left one.

He stared into her beautiful, purple eyes. Astonished was an understatement. He'd made his first friend in his entire lifetime. He'd formally met her in the trunk of an ancient tree, in the middle of a forest haunted by the curse that had brought him to the woods in the first place. And, by chance, she had ended up there as well, trying to rescue the one person she cared most about in the world.

He wanted to smile, but didn't. His first friend. Wow. Maybe being a Stalfos wasn't such a bad thing.

* * *

**FIVE DAYS LATER**

Cremia slowly blinked herself awake, disappointed when she was greeted with the darkness of the tree trunk instead of her bright, warm room in Kakariko Village. She wished she would smell something cooking in the kitchen; she wished Romani would come running into the room to wake her up for the morning; and, most importantly, she wished she would quit itching.

She'd been bitten by a few bugs since they'd been stuck in that tree and she felt as though she'd never stop itching. She prayed she hadn't been bitten by anything poisonous.

Trying to be quiet, she sat up straighter. She and Grog had tried to escape a few times, but found it impossible to do so when they realized that Ganondorf had left an army of monsters waiting outside for them. Ganon was, for some odd reason, keeping them alive. He'd apparently ordered his minions to give them some water a few times, but no food.

Cremia realized that, even though they were hiding in the trunk of a tree for their safety, they were still very much Ganondorf's prisoners. And she hated him for it.

She was tired of being trapped there, but she was thankful she was trapped there with Grog. He was very nice and easy to talk to. When the flashlight had stopped working the day before, he'd been brave enough to steal some matches from Takeo, who'd been keeping watch in front of the hole. Thankfully, they hadn't set the tree on fire. Yet.

She was disappointed when Grog didn't want to open up about his past or even other, simple things about himself. But she'd decided to let him have his space - for now.

Her ankle was swollen since she'd twisted it the other day and she doubted Grog's arm was doing much better. They needed to get some help soon, but being imprisoned in a tree wasn't exactly a situation where one could easily get help.

She felt around for the matches, wanting to shine at least a little bit of light in the trunk, but couldn't find them anywhere. "Grog?" she whispered into the darkness, only vaguely noticing how cold she suddenly felt. "Are you awake? Where are the matches?"

Silence.

She smiled to herself. The poor guy was probably tired. He didn't sleep much - not with all those Stalfos outside.

She reached out to grab the matches, which she assumed were on the other side of Grog, and instead felt nothing at all where her friend was supposed to be.

Her heartbeat sped up, but she forced herself to remain calm, even when she realized that Grog truly wasn't there at all.

He was gone.

One of Ganondorf's Stalfos must have taken him away. They could have killed him - or worse, tortured him. They could've taken him to the castle. There was a chance she would never see him again. And they had just started to become friends.

Her hands clenched into fists. Ganondorf had taken so much from her already - a safe place to stay, a sense of security, her father's health, peace, and now Grog. This was the final straw. He wouldn't take anything more from her. He would pay this time.

She snatched the matches off the ground and moved the huge chunk of bark that posed as a door, allowing the blinding sunlight to flood into the dark tree trunk. The Stalfos who had been stationed outside were no where to be seen now.

This was it. She was going to find Ganon and, this time, she'd kill him - even if it cost her her life.

* * *

The sun had fallen far below the horizon when he saw her. He'd been afraid something like this would happen. It was all his fault.

The only reason he'd even left the safety of the tree trunk was to go check on his old, makeshift home, as well as the Kokiri Village. The Stalfos had been gone when he'd left. He just hadn't realized that Cremia would actually go searching for him in the woods.

She had apparently attempted to walk through the Lost Woods, even with her ankle in such terrible condition. She'd, presumably, tripped, causing her head to hit a tree stump, knocking her unconscious.

This was all his fault.

But at least he had a disguise now. No one would know he was a Stalfos unless they moved the many, many layers of clothes off of him. He'd found the clothes in a spare closet back at his old, forest home.

He slowly approached the red head, who, he guessed, had a semi-serious head injury. He bent down and carefully lifted her up with his good arm. If she stayed in the woods for too long, she could become a Stalfos, too. He had to get her out of there.

Which meant he was going home.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! :)**


	11. Chapter X

**BEWARE! Longest chapter so far, I think! I didn't realize it was going to be quite this long! However, I'm very happy to announce that I am loving this story right now and I'm having a blast writing it! ^_^ Half of this chapter was written a few months ago and the other half has been written since July 1st. I have really big news, but I'll tell you guys at the end of this chapter! ;)**

**Thanks to Coli Chibi, cblythe15 (it wouldn't let me type your username correctly, for some reason), Demon Princess of Time, Chaos Wielder, TheSpiritMaiden (whose new profile picture I love), and Jane O'Callaghan (whose profile picture I also love) for reviewing the last chapter! Your reviews made me smile so much, you guys. You're all amazing! ^_^**

**Coli Chibi: You're awesome. Just sayin'. Thank you for the review! ^_^**

** 15: Thank you so, so, so much for your kind words! I really appreciate the review and I hope you like this chapter! :)**

**Demon Princess of Time: You were fangirling? :O Awwwwww! ^_^ YOU'RE SO SWEET!**

**Chaos Wielder: Aw! Congrats on getting a place to live! :D I know this is an exciting new chapter of your life! I hope you enjoy it and have a nice move! :) Thank you for reviewing! 3**

**TheSpiritMaiden: I read a fanfic once where she had a southern accent. XD It was awesome. And you have no idea how much your review means to me. :) Thank you, dear! ^_^ And it's fine. xD You just missed the last part. I would've done the same thing, probably - and I'm a brunette! :P**

**Jane: I smile every single time I read your review. XD I wasn't actually trying to be humorous when I wrote the end of that chapter, but it turned out that way, I guess. I watch way too much TV. XD Thank you for your lovely review! :D And don't think I've forgotten you or been ignoring you, btw! I've just been busy lately. :) I hope you're doing well!**

**Enjoy this chapter, y'all! ;D Sorry the author's note was so long. I'll try to start replying to reviews via PM again. :P**

* * *

_Chapter X:_

_Home Is Where the Heart Is_

_Anju was in a long, dark tunnel. It seemed endless and the darkness didn't bother her quite as much as the voices that were calling out to her - the voices of people she knew, but couldn't see. They were the voices of everyone she'd ever met who needed her. People she'd helped and people she'd let down: Baiko, Cremia Romani, her mother, even the boyfriend she'd had a few years ago, Kafei Dotour._

_She felt sorrow, regret, longing, and maybe a bit of hope as the voices surrounded her. They were calling her name, blaming her, sometimes thanking her. They surrounded her, even though she couldn't see the faces to match the voices. They were closing in around her, making it hard to breathe. They wouldn't leave her alone. They were taunting her, reminding her, forcing her to face everything right and wrong she'd ever done in her lifetime._

_She covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes tightly, trying unsuccessfully to block it all out. She was trembling, confused, when, suddenly, a single voice rang out louder than the others. "Anju!"_

_Her eyes snapped open and she was nearly blinded by the bright light in front of her. Even so, she recognized the person standing in that light. It was Grog. Behind him was a beautiful, Japanese garden, complete with colorful flowers and the greenest grass she'd ever seen before. She felt a soft, cool breeze all around her as she came closer to the light and beauty of the garden and her brother. She prayed this was real, prayed she could just grab her little brother and hold him in the tightest hug possible, never letting him go._

_"Anju," he repeated, "I'm here. I never left."_

_She smiled softly through the tears that were streaming down her face. "Grog!" she exclaimed, just as she broke into a run._

_When she finally escaped the darkness and she'd made it into that beautiful place, she reached out and pulled him into the biggest hug she'd ever given him. "I thought I'd lost you for good."_

_He smiled, a smile more beautiful than the area around them."Of course you didn't."_

_Slowly, she pulled out of the hug and stared at him for a moment, only to find that he looked confused now. "What's wrong, Grog?"_

_He simply blinked at her. "Wake up!" he shouted in Mutoh's gruff voice. "Anju, wake up!"_

_"What . . .?"_

_"It's Cremia! Hurry! Wake up! We don't got time to be lazy!"_

_Grog vanished and Anju was left alone in the garden until a pillow came flying out of no where, hitting her in the face and startling her awake._

"Aaaaaaaahh!" she yelped, sitting up in bed only to find her father standing next to her. It had all just . . . been a dream?

Mutoh looked slightly annoyed, but even that didn't change the urgent expression he wore.

"Dad? What's going on?"

"Go downstairs an' see for yourself. I already sent one of the carpenters to go get Granny. This could be serious. Try not to wake Baiko."

Anju was out of bed in seconds, racing downstairs faster than she knew she could run. She found Cremia lying on the couch. The farm girl's head was bleeding a bit and her face looked pale. Anju also took notice of the fact her friend's ankle was swollen. She knelt down next to the couch and her hands came up to her mouth. "What happened?"

Cremia slowly opened her eyes, putting a hand to her throbbing head. "Where am I?" she questioned, her voice going in and out. Why was Anju there? Was this a dream? Where was Grog? Was he all right? At the thought of Grog, she sat up a lot quicker than she should have, causing her to wince in pain. "Where's . . ." she trailed off, her eyes darting around the room. "He was just here. He carried me here."

"Who?" asked Anju. She gently pushed her friend back down onto the couch. "Cremia, you need to rest. Please lay down."

"No. I have to find-" She stopped herself, glancing around the room again, failing to notice how worried Anju was. She sat back up. "Maybe he's still outside."

She was about to get up, but Anju stopped her. "You need your rest. I'll go look for him." Not giving Cremia a chance to protest, she stood and headed toward the door.

In all honesty, she wasn't entirely sure that there even had been a person to begin with. Maybe Cremia had hit her head too hard or something and now she was talking crazy. Still, the older girl felt oddly compelled to look outside for the mysterious man who'd taken Cremia home.

It was raining when she stepped out into the cool, night air. The raindrops were falling softly, but they were large enough to cause her to shiver when they landed on her face. She glanced around the dark area, but saw no one in the shadows, except for her grandmother who was entering the house just as she left it.

Heading down the steps, she just barely caught sight of someone dashing away from her in the moonlight. She stifled a gasp, but walked in the direction of the figure in the darkness. Why was she going _toward _it? Why, with Ganondorf taking over Hyrule, would she just walk over to what could be a life threatening monster?

She wondered these things as she wandered away from her home. She couldn't force herself to stop or turn around, though. It was like her body was on autopilot and there was nothing she could do about it. That person, although she had no idea who it was, was someone she needed to meet and she had no idea why.

She'd made it a bit closer to the graveyard when she lost sight of the person she was after. It was eerily quiet outside - even the crickets had gone silent. She glanced around her. Where had that strange guy gone? "Hello?" she called.

There was no answer.

She sighed. Whoever it was obviously didn't want to be found.

Suddenly, a low growl from behind her made her stop in her tracks. Had it not been a person? Had she been following an animal? She whirled around and gasped when she saw a wolf standing before her, snarling. It had a fierce look in its green eyes - one that said she was dinner.

What was the animal doing there? It was rare when one saw a wolfos anywhere outside of a forest and it was even more unlikely that one would come to Kakariko Village.

Anju took a moment to glance over her shoulder. Her only escape was the graveyard. _How convenient. _She'd never dared to go in there at night - not when there were rumors of ghosts floating around. However, looking back at the wolf, she nearly decided that the graveyard was a good idea.

She had no time to weigh her options, though, because that was when the wolf lunged at her. She darted away and, thankfully, it only caught the bottom of her dress. Jerking the garment free, she ran as fast as she could back toward her house. If she could just make it inside, she'd be all right.

The wolf was quick, though, and it caught up to her in a matter of seconds. Growling viciously, it leaped toward her, knocking her to the ground.

She let out a scream of surprise, struggling beneath the beast. She tried to push it off of her, but she couldn't move. She was trapped. This was it. She could feel the wolf's breath at her neck and she shut her eyes tightly. She guessed her whole life should be flashing before her eyes, but it wasn't. All she could think about was all those people from her dream and if they would be okay when she wasn't there to look after them.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she hoped Cremia would get the chance to meet Grog someday. The two fo them would get along. And Cremia was so determined and stubborn - she'd never let Grog believe he was worthless.

Suddenly, the weight on her back was lifted and she heard the wolfos let out a cry of pain.

Slowly, she turned around and got shakily to her feet. A figure stood a couple feet away, holding a stick. She couldn't tell anything about the person except for the fact that whoever it was was covered in numerous layers of clothing.

She was shocked and shaking with fear. She stared at her rescuer. He or she had white eyes that shone even in the night - just like Grog.

"Hurry!" the person shouted. It was a male. "Get back home!"

"But-"

She never got to finish, for the wolf had gotten to its feet and darted toward her mysterious savior.

The man stood up straighter and pulled the large stick back. He sent the wolf flying backwards a few feet, letting out a sigh of relief after he did so. Turning back to Anju, he said, "Hurry! You need to get out of here."

"But you-"

"I'll be fine," he interrupted. He went over to her and turned her in the direction of the house. "Go."

She forced herself to head toward the house. She couldn't do anything for her hero on her own. She could help him more if she got back up.

The front door swung open just as she reached it. Cremia stood there, her eyes wide. She was holding a cloth to her forehead and leaning heavily on the door. She looked exhausted, but even so, she seemed as brave as ever. "Where is he?"

"You mean . . ." Anju glanced over her shoulder. "He rescued me."

Cremia's eyes narrowed. "Rescued you? From what?"

Remembering the wolfos and the urgency of the situation, Anju raced into the house after reassuring Cremia that everything was - or _would be _- all right. "Dad! Dad, hurry!"

"What now, Anju?" He was standing next to one of the carpenters and Granny, who was digging through her bag for something. He sounded annoyed and looked tired, wearing his usual "leave me alone" expression.

"There's a wolf outside! A-And it's after Cremia's friend!"

"Why in the world did a _wolf _come to Kakariko Village?"

"I don't know, but that's not the point! We've got to help him!"

Granny finally looked up, glancing around the room. "Where's that ranch girl?"

They all looked toward the door. She was gone.

* * *

Grog had been losing ever since the wolf had become unafraid of the stick.

Already, the vicious animal had ripped some of the layers of clothes off the Stalfos. Thankfully, there was still enough left that no one would know what he was.

He fell backwards onto the ground after the wolfos tackled him. He realized his fragile, fractured arm could easily be lost if the wolf was serious enough. Dogs loved bones. And Stalfos had a lot more to worry about than humans did.

Drool slowly escaped the animal's mouth, rolling down its face and falling a few inches before landing directly on Grog's head. The only thing the Stalfos could think about right then was the disgusting stench of the dog's breath and how thankful he was that he'd saved his sister from this torture.

Suddenly, just when he thought the wolf was going to tear him apart just like the whole village had always wanted, he heard a long, low whistle from somewhere close by.

The wolf, distracted for a moment, paused and looked up, but quickly resumed trying to end Grog's life. Grog knew this was it, the end, but someone started clapping loudly, the single sound alone echoing through the air and repeating itself to the rest of the area.

Grog didn't dare to move as whoever it was pelted the wolf with rocks.

Growling, the monster got off of Grog and turned around, ready for revenge.

Anju's brother sat up slowly, using some of the clothes he had on to wipe the drool from his face. Looking up, he realized that his princess in no shining armor was Cremia. Her eyes were wide, but he could tell by her stance that she was not fully alert. She looked a bit groggy, swaying a little, but trying to keep her head up, even in spite of the injury she'd gotten earlier.

"Cremi-" Grog began, but she cut him off as she grabbed a few more rocks.

"Clap," she instructed. "As loud as you can. If we make enough noise, it'll leave. Don't move - just clap."

He wanted nothing more than to run to help her, but he forced himself to stay there, sitting on the ground. Slowly but surely, he began clapping loudly, confusing the wolfos. It turned to face him, looking him directly in the eyes. He was going to turn away, but, before he could, Cremia said, "Look at its eyes, Grog. Don't look away."

He did as he was told. Cremia threw another rock at the animal. The wolf turned around. Grog noticed Cremia swaying more. His family came running out of the house.

The last thing Cremia noticed was her vision getting blurry and then she passed out.

* * *

The shadows hadn't changed at all. Neither had the light that shone brightly into his room from the hallway. In fact, everything was exactly the way he'd left it, which was weird considering Cremia and Romani had been living in it for the last few months. The carpet was softer than he remembered, the room was a bit brighter, and the memories the pictures brought back weren't all painful ones.

He sighed. The wolf hadn't ruined every layer of clothes he had on, but it'd ripped more than he would have liked. His entire bony right hand was exposed and he was just thankful that Anju hadn't noticed when she'd forced him to stay until Cremia woke up, which hadn't happened yet, as far as he knew.

Being back in his old, clean, warm room in the same house as Anju made him want to run away screaming. But he couldn't. He wouldn't run away again. And that was selfish on his part.

"Thank you."

He jumped nearly a foot into the air when Anju's voice startled him out of his thoughts. He whirled around only to find his sister standing in the doorway, a silhouette with the hallway light behind her, giving her an angelic glow.

"Thank you, for saving me," she reapted, smiling brightly at him.

He didn't know what to say at first, but he eventually responded, "Thank you for allowing me to."

She smiled and came over to him, where he was standing next to the dresser. "So, where are you from?" she questioned.

Forcing his voice to sound deeper so she wouldn't recognize him, he replied, "I'm from . . . The Lost Woods."

"Oh? Well, you look a little tall to be a Kokiri," she observed.

He stuttered for a bit, but finally got his words out, after a while, "I was just visiting the forest when I found Cre- that girl. I'm actually a traveler, from far away."

She nodded, raising her eyebrows a bit at him. She glanced at the pictures on the dresser when she noticed him looking at them. "That's my brother." She pointed. "He . . . left home not too long ago. I miss him." She stared at the floor with a wistful expression on her face. "I sent Cremia, the girl you brought here, to go look for my brother. If I hadn't sent her, maybe she wouldn't be injured right now. If I had cared more about my brother, maybe he wouldn't have left."

Grog's eyes widened. Did Anju really blame herself for everything? Did she really think it was because of her that he disappeared? He wished he could say something to reassure her that she had nothing to do with any of this, but he realized that he wasn't in that house as her brother, but as a stranger instead.

It was only his sister's kind smile that pulled him from his thoughts this time. "So, what's your name?" she asked him, her voice happy, in spite of everything.

He wanted to tell her that it would all be okay, he wanted to comfort her, he wanted to tell her that she didn't have to pretend. He wanted to return all the kindness she'd given to him over the years. But that was impossible now. He'd made a mistake and he couldn't fix this one. Maybe it was for the better, though. Anju could move on without him now; she could have the life she'd always dreamed of.

Finally, he spoke, even though what he said was completely irrelevant, "When I leave, make sure . . . that girl doesn't go back to the Lost Woods. It's dangerous there."

Anju's eyebrows knitted together and her smile faded quickly. "Yes, but . . . are you going back there?"

"I have to." Those three words alone pulled him back to the reality that it was crucial he got back to the forest before it was too late. The longer he stayed, the more danger he _and _his family would be in.

Anju smiled again. "Not right now, I hope. My family and I would love it if you stayed."

Grog was once again amazed at her outstanding ability to be nice to anyone, even strangers. He found it a little stupid that she'd invite a stranger covered in layers of clothes to live in her house, although she knew nothing about him, but he wasn't overly worried, because at least it was him. Sort of.

He sighed. "I appreciate the offer, but I can't." That wasn't a lie. "I should be getting back to the forest. There are people there who need me."

"Surely you're not going back tonight." Her blue eyes showed nothing more than worry. "It's already dark, not to mention raining. Can't you go back in the morning?" When she noticed him about to shake his head, she quickly added, "Please. We would love to have you as a guest here for the night. You rescued Cremia - it's the least we could do for you. And she'll want to see you when she wakes up."

"I couldn't." No, really, _he couldn't._ But he decided he would, when he noticed how desperate she looked to help someone. He'd left her feeling like a lot was her fault. The least _he _could do was give her a chance to help someone else and feel better about herself. Besides, Ganondorf couldn't find him if he stayed in the village for only _one _night . . . Right? "I'll stay, since you want me to. But only for tonight."

Her face brightened and she looked more than pleased. "I'll go cook something! You must be hungry!" Without giving him time to protest, she left and hurried downstairs, leaving him alone in the darkened room, with nothing but old memories to keep him company.

Truthfully, he hadn't been hungry since he'd become a Stalfos. Since he was just bones, he really had no desire for food anymore. Saria had told him that there were Stalfos who ate, even in spite of the fact they were never hungry, but he couldn't imagine how. Wouldn't it just . . . fall right through them?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he glanced back at the photographs all around his room. He'd never liked taking pictures, or being in them. He'd never been one who cared about family a lot either, not even Anju at times. But he'd kept the pictures for a particular reason, even though he hated them. He wanted to know he was there. He wanted to know someone had seen him, especially on the days when no one in the village would even glance his way.

He'd never left a big mark on his life, had never done anything worth remembering. He'd never been able to say that he had done something to help someone else. He'd never been able to say that he cared about anyone else. Why should he care about them when they didn't care about him? It was true that he loved Anju, but even when he'd tried to put her first, he'd ended up hurting her.

There was nothing in those photos, nothing in the village, nothing in his life that would signify him making a difference somewhere. Why? Because he'd never made a difference. It was a depressing thought for him, but he couldn't deny its truth. The only thing he'd ever done that had been worthwhile was protecting Anju that night. It had been the only time he could think of that he'd ever gone out of his way for another person. And yet the person he'd rescued was the person who was still haunted by who he used to be. They'd been standing face to face and yet he couldn't say a single word to her about who he really was, or what had changed. He couldn't apologize. Never in his life had he felt so completely stuck.

Being a Stalfos wasn't exactly all it was cracked up to be.

He laid down on his bed, sighing to himself. He was being surrounded by his past as his present slapped him right in the face. Wonderful. Maybe it was a bad idea to take Cremia back here. There had to be some sort of Kokiri Forest doctor or something, right? That would've helped a lot. He made a mental note to ask Fado about it when he got back to the woods.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped, causing himself to fall off the bed and onto the floor in surprise. His eyes were wide as he slowly got to his knees and glanced warily at the owner of the voice who'd been next to him on the bed. It was a small girl, with red hair, just like Cremia's. She had wide eyes and wore a curious expression on her face. It was like seeing a ten year old (maybe the girl was younger) Cremia. "Who are you?" he questioned, trying to calm down a bit.

"Romani. Why are you in Romani's room?"

He wanted to tell her it was _his _room, but he figured that'd be, for one, immature, and for two, stupid, considering he was no longer Grog. He was a stranger and a guest in the house and he would remain anonymous. "I didn't know you were in here. Anju told me I could stay."

"How do you know her name?"

_Crap. _"She told me," he lied, sounding pretty darn convincing. He would've taken a moment to be proud of himself if he hadn't been sitting in front of a very observant, inquisitive little girl, who obviously asked more questions than she should.

"No, she didn't," Romani responded matter of factly. "Romani was listening. She never said her name. How do you know it?"

Grog's normal response would've been "Why do you ask so many questions?" but he didn't want to sound any more suspicious than he already did. "I overheard someone say it."

"You're lying."

What, was she a human lie detector or something? Where did they _find _this odd child who spoke about herself in the third person? Probably Kokiri Forest where they found all the other strange kids, he figured. "And why are you here, exactly?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you covered in all those clothes? It's cold outside, but not _that _cold." A shocked expression appeared on her face and she whispered, "Are you one of Them?"

"Who?"

"You know, _Them._"

"And who are _they?_"

"They are Them, duh."

Grog blinked. This was officially the weirdest conversation he'd ever had in his life. He knew little kids sometimes said strange things, but this was different. Everything that came out of her mouth made no sense at all. Why was she in his room? Was she related to Cremia, or was it a coincidence that they looked a lot alike? Had Anju gotten into the habit of letting lots of strangers stay at the house? It wasn't an inn, and he hoped no one had gotten that impression. It wasn't safe. What was going on?

"And to answer your question," the child began, sitting up in her bed, her red hair messier than ever, "Romani lives here. She and her sister are staying here for a while. Romani likes this new place, but Cremia wants to go home."

"Home?"

"Back to the ranch," she explained. "Romani Ranch, back in Termina."

"Where's that?"

"Far, far away from here. It was nice, but we didn't have a lot of friends back there. Our ranch was separated from town a bit. But here we're in the middle of _everything! _Romani likes it!"

_That makes one of us, _Grog thought, nodding at her. "How come you moved out here? And why are you living in this house?"

"It's a really long story and Romani just doesn't wanna tell you." Well, at least she was honest. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to her. "It's too early for you to be sneaking into people's rooms. Why did you come here?"

"I'm staying for the night," he replied. "Tomorrow morning I'm leaving, though, so don't worry."

She stared at him for the longest time, not blinking, not saying anything. Just staring. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable, but she finally spoke before he could figure out a sentence that would make sense, "You don't have to leave. Romani likes you. You're a good listener and you ask questions so she can keep talking. No one else does that."

"No one?" He'd thought everyone did . . .

"Nope! No one except for you! Romani thinks you're special, but you're really weird, too. Who _listens _these days? And who wears eight layers of clothing when the house has heat?"

Grog barely heard the rest of what the girl was saying. She thought he was special? Really? Whoa. That was the second time in a few days that he'd received that compliment. Of course, the first time, Cremia had been talking about the mysterious, runaway Grog, not the monster, Stalfos Grog. But still, it was nice.

He smiled at the sweet, crazy child, even though he knew she couldn't see his smile, hidden underneath the many layers of clothing. "Anju is making food downstairs. Would you like to go down with me? Your sister is down there, and the others are, too." Not that any of the others mattered. "It's early, but everyone's already awake."

"Why?"

He didn't want to have to break it to her that her sister was injured now, so he never said anything. Especially not when he remembered what Cremia had told him about their father. He stood up, about to head to the door, when he suddenly heard Romani's sleepy voice behind him, "Help Romani up! What kind of gentleman are you?!"

He wondered for a moment why she couldn't get up on her own, but he went back over to the bed and extended a hand to help her. It was only after he made the mistake that he realized what had happened. The hand he'd held out, the one she was staring at right then, was the hand that had been left uncovered after the fight with the wolfos. He jerked it back immediately when Romani's small hand reached out and touched one of his bony fingers. His secret was blown. And it had to be revealed to quite possibly the world's strangest kid, who talked about _everything._

He was trying to decide whether he should flee the house as quickly as possible or make up some sort of excuse when Romani climbed out of bed and stood in front of him. She was such a short girl, compared to her older sister. She stared up at the Stalfos, looking unafraid. Unlike Cremia, she didn't scream, or lock him in a room, or anything of the sort. She reached out, took his uncovered hand, and did the _last _thing he'd ever expected her to do: She smiled. It was a bright, happy, beautiful smile that seemed to confuse him and yet change his decision to leave all at once.

Why was this happening? _What _was happening? How could anyone know the truth and still look so . . . okay with it? How could this child, who probably still believed in monsters in the closet, look at him and not be disgusted?

He was disgusting. He wasn't anything anyone would want to see, not before and not now. He was supposed to be either ignored or hated. He was a Stalfos, a _monster. _He was the one who, in nine months, would be working with Ganondorf to further torment all of Hyrule and end up hurting a lot of people. How could anyone look at what he was and smile like_ that? _It was mind blowing to him. In fact, he was in so much shock that he didn't even realize he hadn't said a word since she took his hand.

Her smile didn't fade, though, even as she waited for him to say something. She looked so genuinely happy, so _glad _to be standing next to him. When he didn't say anything at all, she finally said, "It's okay. Romani doesn't mind. You're different. It's _okay _to be different."

He stared down at her, his white eyes clouded with confusion and wonder. "How can you say that when you're normal? How do you know it's okay to be different?"

She grinned, shaking her head at him as though he'd just told her the most hilarious joke she'd ever heard. "Romani is not normal." Couldn't argue there. "No one is! There's no such thing as normal. We're all different, in different ways." Her smile seemed to light up the room. "You're a skeleton, right? So, you're different. But Romani is the same way. She is a skeleton, too. She just happens to have skin on top of hers and other stuff you don't have. So, we're different, but the same. Make sense?"

He had a hard time processing everything she'd just said, so he didn't answer right away. Everyone was different, but that fact alone made everyone the same. How could that be? It was certainly mind-boggling, but definitely the most profound thing he'd ever heard a child say.

She'd looked at him, saw what he was, and she hadn't judged him. This kid wasn't like anyone else on the planet. She _was _different, but if this was what different was like, he wished he could be more like her. He wished everyone would be.

"Yeah," he finally said, holding her hand tighter now, "it makes perfect sense." He smiled again. "You're a smart kid."

She started toward the doorway, holding her head up proudly. "I know."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! ^_^**

**HERE**** IS THE BIG NEWS: I wrote this on my profile, but I thought not a lot of you would see it, so I'm telling you here! One of my friends talked me into doing Camp NaNoWriMo this year. (If you're not sure what it is, it's a free writing program thingy where one can pick a word count goal and write that much in a single month.) I usually do NaNo in November, where the goal is 50,000 words for everyone, and the idea of writing a novel during the summer seemed weird to me, for some reason.**

**But my friend asked me if I would do it with her this month and I agreed, even though there was only a day or two until July 1st. I didn't want to write an original novel this time, so I decided to work this fanfiction instead, starting with where I'd left off halfway through this chapter. I'm aiming for 30,000 words and I'm already just over 12k as it is, so I'm hoping to have a lot more done by the end of this month. And who knows? The whole story might be complete and unedited by then, too! So, be expecting a lot of chapters in the future (especially in August) and just know I'm still writing!**

**The chapters I'm working on now are really fun to write and I think y'all will enjoy them. Thanks to everyone who has read this story, or even simply read the title. It means a lot to have people who enjoy my writing. I love each and every one of you, just so you know. :)**


	12. Chapter XI

**Hey! :D SECOND UPDATE THIS MONTH! :D Exciting. xD**

**I'm trying to shorten my author's notes, so I just want to say real quick THANK YOU SO MUCH to: TheSpiritMaiden, Coli Chibi, FwooshEye, Demon Princess of Time, kirbyfan1996, Chaos Wielder, and Jane O'Callaghan for reviewing! ^_^ You're all amazing and you have no idea how much y'all make me smile! :)**

**Chaos Wielder: NaNoWriMo is so much fun! You'd probably love it! It's a nice way to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. ^_^ YOU WROTE A ONE SHOT ABOUT GROG AND ROMANI?! :O How can you keep that awesomeness from the world? Length doesn't matter, dear! There's an awesome writer for LoZ (Carlson) and her fics are so short, but always amazing! :D Seriously, publish your story on here! I would LOVE to read it! ^_^ Also, thank you SO much for your reviews! They always mean a lot! :)**

**Aaaaand to those who have been wondering: Camp NaNo is not an actual camp, but an online one. All you have to do is sign up. Camp NaNo is in April and July. The regular 50,000 word NaNo is in November. It's amazing.**

**I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! ^_^ (So much for short author's notes!)**

* * *

_Chapter XI:_

_What Love Really Is_

Much to Grog's surprise, Romani didn't reveal his secret to the whole household. She _did,_ however, wrap his hand up with an entire roll of toilet paper. It was odd, but nevertheless sweet. After that was done, the two of them headed downstairs where they found the living room completely full and bustling with what some would call excitement. To Grog, it looked like an accident waiting to happen.

His father was there, drinking some beer as he talked loudly to the carpenters, who had shown up at the most random time of night. Often, they had no where better to go, so, if they saw lights on at the house, they just walked right in and made themselves at home. Mutoh pretended he hated when they showed up, but it was quite obvious he didn't mind their company.

Granny was there as well, sitting in that old wheelchair of hers as she leafed through a book next to one of the bookshelves in the room. She didn't seem to mind the noise of the men at all, but instead gave the smallest of smiles when she would hear them laughing. Of course, if she knew someone had been looking, there would be no smile to show, but since she was relatively alone next to the bookshelf, her smile was warm and her eyes kind. Grog knew she'd been a nice lady, back in her day, and she still was a nice lady, to an extent. She just had times when she didn't get along with people, especially her family, and life had made her bitter.

He could see Anju in the kitchen, cooking a large meal for everyone. No one particularly liked the food she made, but they all put up with it, since none of them could cook - except for Granny, who had openly admitted that Anju's food was terrible. Her granddaughter had been upset, but she eventually got over it, since no one else ever complained.

Cremia was awake now, sitting up on the couch as she glanced around the room slowly. She had a bandage wrapped around the top part of her head, where she'd hit it on the tree stump earlier. Her face was still a little pale, probably from being tired, hungry, unsteady, and in the forest for too long. There was a bigger bandage around her ankle and Grog hoped she'd be all right. No doubt all the noise in the room was bothering her, but, unless there was a fire right then, it didn't look like anyone would be leaving the room, not in a hurry at least.

Romani left Grog's side to race over to Cremia, looking concerned. "What happened? Are you all right?!'

Cremia smiled weakly at her little sister. "I'm fine, Romani. I'll be better in no time." Whether she liked it or not, she knew she'd have to be. Romani needed her, and so did Baiko. Not to mention the fact that she needed to take care of the child while her father was unable to. "Why are you up already? It's still dark outside."

"Everyone else is up," Romani pointed out. She sat down next to Cremia, reaching up to poke her in the head. "How did you get hurt? Was it Them?"

"No, it wasn't. They couldn't do this."

"Yes, They could."

Cremia sighed, too tired to argue. She glanced up in time to see Grog standing across the room, by the stairs, watching them. She stood up quickly, almost losing her balance, but she quickly snatched up the large stick Granny had given her to use as a crutch and caught herself. She headed over to Grog, pulling him into a large hug and closing her eyes, glad he was still there. She hadn't had much time to think about him since she'd awakened, but it was only now that she realized how glad she was that he was safe. He was all right. He _hadn't _been eaten by an insane wolf.

He stood there stiffly, surprised. The only person who'd ever given him a real hug like that one was Anju. He expected it from his sister, but not so much from a girl he'd only met a few days ago. It was a little weird, but . . . he liked it. Slowly, he hugged her back. He hoped she'd be all right after all that had happened. He hoped she'd keep out of trouble from now on. But, of course, it was obvious that probably wouldn't happen at any point in time. Ever.

She pulled out of the hug, looking up at him with a smile much like the one her little sister had. "What are you still doing here? I figured you would've left the moment you got away from that horrifying creature."

"Anju told me to stay for dinner . . . or breakfast. I'm not really sure which it is at this point." It was awkward, being surrounded by so many familiar people and yet every last one of them were treating him as a guest or a stranger. He noticed his grandmother looking his way and he averted his eyes quickly. "So," he said to Cremia, "are you feeling any better?"

She didn't look like she was, but she nodded, anyway. "Much better. But . . . I thought you said you had to stay in the forest. How come you haven't left yet?"

"Anju talked me into staying for the night," he explained. Maybe he could leave the next morning before either of the girls got up. Saying goodbye was a waste of time and definitely something he didn't want to have to go through. He motioned to Romani. "She found out about the secret."

"What secret?"

"That's he's a skeleton!" the small girl jumped in helpfully, her voice louder than it probably should've been. Luckily, it drew no attention from anyone other than Granny, who was still watching Grog with a knowing gaze. He averted his eyes for the second time that night.

"Romani, we have to be quiet," Cremia hissed, shutting the girl up immediately. "You cannot tell _anyone _else about what you know. All right? This is to be kept between us."

Romani smiled brightly. "Okay!" Somehow Cremia wasn't convinced.

A silence fell between the three of them and all Grog could hear was the gruff voices of Mutoh and the carpenters as they all talked over one another, laughing and spilling their drinks all over the floor. It was disgusting.

That single word alone brought Grog to the realization that he was back home, in the place he'd always wanted so badly to leave, around the people he saw as disgusting, even when he himself wasn't perfect. He was standing in the midst of what he'd left behind as a stranger, as a traveler, as a guest, and as a Stalfos. If he'd had any hair on the back of his neck, he was sure it would've been standing up right then.

And even though he wanted to look at his family and what used to be his life as who he'd once been, he couldn't bring himself to do so. It was different, seeing things from a new perspective. He saw a family - a dysfunctional, ridiculous family - that, although they sometimes never talked to each other, they cared enough to stay together, in spite of everything. Even the war and destruction in Hyrule hadn't torn them apart. They were an actual family.

Anju came back into the room, wiping her hands on a towel, just as a mother would have done. She smiled at everyone in that kind, loving way she always did. "The food is ready!"

There were shouts of satisfaction from the men, while Granny simply rolled her eyes. Cremia smiled up at Grog, causing him to smile back at her. She'd gone through so much in the last few days and yet she was still able to smile so cheerfully. She was about to head with everyone else to the table when she heard a low, tired voice from behind her. "Cremia?"

Whirling around, she saw her father there, looking exhausted and surprised. Instead of the old stick he used as a crutch, he was now in a wheelchair. Once upon a time he'd wore a carefree, happy expression, but now, he wore one of pain and exhaustion. It broke her heart every time she saw him that way. She hurried over to him. "Dad! What are you doing down here? You're supposed to be upstairs, resting."

His eyes were full of worry and sorrow as he stared up at his oldest daughter. "You're home. Where have you been? Are you all right, Cremia? What happened? Why are you injured?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but realized how complicated the story truly was. And of course there was the issue of explaining things that needed to be kept secret. What was she going to say? Something like, "Well, Dad, you see, I was tackled by a Stalfos in the middle of the woods one day and then he and I were chased by some other monsters. We hid in a tree for five days and then I went wandering around the woods, knocking myself out for a few hours. But it was a ton of fun! I had a great time, running for my life. Oh, and did I mention that the same Stalfos who seems to get himself into life threatening situations more and more each day is the _same _Stalfos hiding under all those clothes, standing in our living room? Also, did you ever notice what a funny coincidence it is that he looks exactly like those Stalfos that attacked us in Castle Town?"

No. That wouldn't work.

She glanced around nervously for a second. She'd never been good at lying - not to her father, at least. He was the person she respected and loved most in the world. She'd be letting him down if she lied to his face. Was it really _that _important to keep Grog's secret? After all, someone was bound to find out sooner or later, right? But what would happen if they found out? Would he be taken away? Killed? Or would they all be okay with it, for some reason? She sighed, unsure of what to do now.

Romani took that time to come to the rescue with her brilliant, yet odd, imagination. "Cremia fell in a hole and twisted her ankle after some unicorns attacked and then a red banana hit her in the head so-"

Cremia interrupted, "I tripped in a hole and twisted my ankle." That was the truth. "And then I was trying to walk when I fell and hit my head on a tree stump." She let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't lied to Baiko. She'd told him the truth. Thank goodness. She was a terrible liar. She motioned behind her to Grog, who was standing there, staring wistfully at his family gathering at the table. "He found me and brought me back here. Granny says I should be okay in about a week."

Baiko seemed to let out the breath he'd been holding and he pulled his daughter into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered. Moving to Hyrule had been a scary experience for all of them. He didn't know if he'd be able to handle himself if his either of his daughters were to get hurt. "It's dangerous in the Lost Woods, Cremia. You must be careful."

"I am careful, Dad. It was just a couple freak accidents. I'll be fine." She pulled out of the hug. "We're all going to eat now. You can get some food, too, if you're hungry."

He smiled at her before wheeling himself into the kitchen, where Romani had saved him a seat.

"Who was that?" Grog asked, once the red head came back over to him. "Was that your father?"

She nodded, the corners of her lips turning upwards into a smile. "Yeah."

Grog glanced back over at the man, who had a smile on his face as he took a seat at the table. How could someone who was injured and had two daughters to worry about look so happy? How could someone who'd been through so much seem so . . . okay?

If he'd been that strong, back before he ran away, maybe he wouldn't have made such a decision. Maybe everything that had been going on in his life wouldn't have bothered him. Maybe he would've never left. He would have stayed and faced life with a smile on his face, just like Cremia's father was doing right then. If he would've been more like that man, he could have faced anything without running away.

Cremia took his hand and laughed when she noticed it had toilet paper around it. "C'mon, Grog. Let's go eat."

The two of them took their places at the table, everyone still chattering nosily. Granny wasn't saying much (except for when she scolded Mutoh for not passing the salt to one of his carpenters) and she wasn't eating anything, but she seemed to be silently watching everyone around her. Especially Grog.

It creeped him out a bit, to see his grandmother's eyes meet his. Before, she would hardly look at him when she had to. But now she was staring and it was beginning to feel really weird. He tried to avoid her gaze, but every time he even glanced back in her direction, she seemed to stare a hole right through him.

Anju had offered him some food earlier, but, since he had no idea where that food would end up, he'd told her that he wasn't hungry, because he'd eaten earlier. Cremia, on the other hand, scarfed down two servings of everything in less than thirty minutes. Now, on her third plate, she was eating more than any man at the table. Romani tried to match how much her sister ate, but she looked like she'd puke after almost two plates.

The carpenters seemed to be enjoying themselves. Grog could see how much they looked up to Mutoh, even though the majority of their respect had once come from being afraid of him. They would observe the way he carried himself - which wasn't well, considering he was talking over everyone else, with his mouth full, allowing both his dinner and beer to drop onto the table occasionally. The carpenters never seemed to mind, though, since they were doing basically the same thing.

Anju, although a bit disturbed at what a mess the guys were making, seemed happy. She smiled at everyone as she ate her food in silence. She loved watching them all. It was odd, but her family had increased in size over the years. It had once been only her, her parents, and Grog. But after her parents got divorced, and her mother moved to Clock Town, they were a small family. She'd taken the role of a mother for many years, caring for Grog and their home while her father worked.

Once he'd gotten enough money, he'd hired the carpenters to help him. And they gradually made their way into the family as well, like annoying, stupid brothers that Anju loved, even when they were sloppy or loud at times.

Her grandmother had never been around a whole lot, but after Mutoh used some of his hard earned money to buy some potions from her, she found herself in the picture as well. She didn't particularly _like _any of them, but, whether she wanted to admit it or not, they were family and that unspoken bond couldn't have been broken no matter what. So, she stuck around, for the most part.

It was only when Grog left that Anju found her somewhat large family growing larger. Helping people in need had always been what she'd wanted to do; so, by the time Baiko, Cremia, and Romani showed up, she couldn't stop herself. They needed help desperately and she wouldn't deprive them of that. Welcoming them into her home, helping care for each of them, cooking them meals, it was all the least she could do for such a kind, tight knit family.

She'd never met people who cared about each other so much and it inspired her to try a bit harder with her own family. With her brother gone, it was hard, but it was forcing her to pay more attention to her father and all the other people in her life. It was, very slowly, working out.

Her family of three had suddenly turned into a family of eleven. She smiled. If only Grog hadn't left, there would've been twelve people in her big family. He would love Cremia and the others. They would be able to show him that there was such a thing as happiness, even in times of trial. He would get along with them well. If he was still there, her family would be complete and she would be truly happy.

She glanced at their newest guest, a mysterious man who had saved two lives in one night. She wondered if he, like the others, would become a part of her growing family. She wouldn't mind if he stayed for a while. He seemed perfectly harmless and he would be a great help around the house, with all the work they had to do. He didn't say very much, even as everyone else chattered amongst themselves, but she knew there was something special about him, something she needed to pay attention to.

Romani, who had been being unusually quiet throughout the entire meal, suddenly jumped up, standing on her chair. "HEY, EVERYONE!" she yelled, to get their attention. Her father tried to make her sit down, for that had been rude of her, but she didn't obey. This was important. Especially to her. She was thankful when everyone went silent and all eyes went to her. "All right. We're going to play a game. It's not hard and it's not a kids' game, so get over yourselves. Romani will tell you how to play."

"Kid," Mutoh said, rolling his eyes, "we're trying to eat. Now ain't the time for a game."

"Yes, it is." She jumped off her chair and landed gracefully on the floor. "It's easy. Just give it a shot. Everyone, stand up." They all obeyed, much to her surprise, except for Baiko, whose leg was in no condition for him to stand, and Granny, who only stood on occasion. "Okay. Next, you all move around the table, into a different spot. Try not to sit next to the person you had been sitting with."

"The food will get cold, child," Granny told her, even though she really couldn't care less.

Romani couldn't either, so she didn't reply. She just watched with satisfaction as everyone did as they were told, sitting down in random places and then taking their seats, all at once. She'd never seen the family cooperate so well, so she was in shock, to say the least. But she was happy that they were all willing to play the game with her.

Cremia smiled softly. She remembered this game. Baiko had invented it when the girls were younger. The two of them had been arguing all day, screaming and yelling, while he'd been trying to work. So, he made them sit down at the table and then invented this game. Even sometimes when he wasn't home, Romani and Cremia learned to play it, whether they were angry or happy. It was one of the best memories Cremia had. Since they didn't have many friends outside the adults at the ranch, they spent most of their time together and it was games like these that kept their family going at times.

Now, seeing Anju's family and friends play this game, it was heart warming. The game that had brought her family together was about to bring another one together and she'd been blessed with the opportunity to witness it. Even though no one had been in a bad mood, it was obvious that they all didn't get along very well at times. Which was normal, but still a bit bothering. Romani was right in starting the game.

From where she sat, the smaller girl smiled. "Okay. Next, we're going to go around the table. You're going to look at the person to your right and tell them something you like about them. It can be anything, whether it's their eyes or their hair or their personality or something they do. Just look them straight in the eye and tell them what you like about them. And you have to think about it, you can't just name something."

Granny was the first to protest. "It's a waste of time," she snapped. "This is a game for fools. Not everyone has something that is pleasing to another. And, even if there was something good amongst these idiots, why would anyone want to make their heads even bigger?"

At her words, the carpenters launched insults at each other, laughing the whole time. Granny was still talking, but no one could hear her anymore. Anju looked disappointed and Cremia wore a frustrated expression on her face.

Mutoh was about to say something witty to his mother, but his mouth automatically closed when he noticed the sorrowful look in Romani's blue eyes. It reminded him a lot of when Anju was little, before his wife had moved away, before there had been anything to make him bitter, before he'd become a carpenter. Anju would look up at him with eyes much like the ones Romani had. She would ask him to play a game or dolls with her and, if he would refuse, she'd get that sad look in the blue orbs of hers. It was hard to say no to eyes that pleaded for someone to play and listen. It was hard to say no to a little girl who just wanted her family to spend time with her.

He didn't have a soft spot for many things, but he did have one for little girls. So, after taking a deep breath, he shouted at everyone to quiet down just before he turned to Granny, who was on his right, and, with much self control, said, "Ma, I like . . ." Man, this _was_ hard. ". . . I like your ability to . . . be so honest about stuff."

Grog, just like everyone else in the room, nearly fell out of his seat. The _last _person he'd ever expected to play this game was his father. He'd never once heard Mutoh say a nice thing about someone. Except for maybe the carpenters when they weren't being lazy, but that was only one time. Romani must have had magical abilities or something of the sort, because he couldn't imagine how she got Mutoh to play the game, without even saying a word. Or forcing him. Or bribing him.

"Boss, are you seriously gonna play this game?" one of the carpenters asked. The rest of the them stayed silent, even when Mutoh ignored everyone around him.

Granny sat up a bit straighter and held her head up. If she was going to do something, she might as well look sure of herself. She glanced at Romani, who sat on the other side of the table. "What were the rules for this game, child?"

Romani's face was shining like fireworks. She was so happy they were _actually _listening. The most stubborn family on the planet was paying attention and playing the game. "The rules are that you have to say something _nice, _it can't be something mean. Just find one thing you like about the person. Only one thing. And then you have to look them in the eyes and tell them that thing you like. Oh, and it has to be the person to your right - you can't pick someone."

Granny nodded curtly before turning to her right. One of the carpenters, Ichiro, sat there, grinning as he waited for his compliment. That fact alone made Granny almost want to skip him, but she decided against it, since everyone was waiting for her now. She sighed quietly, trying to think of even one thing she liked about someone so irritating. He was a lazy freeloader who had to be the stupidest person she'd ever met. Not to mention the fact that his smile was too goofy, his hair too wild, his outfit too atrocious, his eyes too small, and his mouth too wide. "I like your pointy ears," she managed.

"We _all _have pointy ears!" he exclaimed, his voice incredulous.

"Yes, we all do. And I like them."

He pouted for a second before turning to his buddy Sabooro, who batted his eyes at him. "Uh, Sabooro . . . I like how you always like helping people! It's nice!"

Sabooro grinned proudly before looking at Anju, who was on his other side. This game was more fun than he thought it would be. He envisioned himself standing underneath a beautiful sunset as he took Anju, the girl of his dreams, into his arms and held her close, saying, "You're beautiful, my darling. Your eyes shine brighter than any star, your hair is red like fire, and your hands are soft like . . . whatever is soft."

But, of course, that isn't what happened at all. Instead of his fantasy, he took one look into her blue eyes and lost all capability of making a sentence that even halfway made sense. "Uh, um . . . Well, I like . . . Um . . . well . . ."

Shiro, another carpenter, rolled his eyes. "He likes you in general," he explained. Sabooro's face went red, but he didn't deny the fact.

Anju smiled at him. "Thank you. That's, um, very kind, Sabooro." She turned to Cremia. There was so much she could say about the smart, fearless girl sitting next to her. Cremia had accomplished everything Anju had always wanted to accomplish. She was so kind and she loved her family so much. She was brave, too, willing to go to great lengths to save the people she cared about, even if it meant putting herself in danger. She loved everyone and she was such a good listener. Anju wished she could be like that.

"You're brave, Cremia." She sighed, trying to choose her words carefully. "You've gone through so much just to help your father get better and . . . if I could do something so great, maybe I could help my own family, maybe I could help my brother. Maybe I could bring him home. Maybe I could search for him. Maybe he wouldn't have left. You're so kind to everyone you meet and I can only hope that someday I will be more like you." She sounded much like a child talking to someone a lot older than her, but she could no longer help it. Everything she said, she meant. She wanted to be like Cremia. She wanted to be brave. She wanted to be a hero. Everyone said she was brave for looking after those cuccos, even though she had allergies. But that wasn't really brave. She simply cared for animals. If she cared for any person that much, Grog would be back and her family would still be together.

Grog sat frozen in his spot. _"If I could do something so great, maybe I could help my brother. Maybe I could bring him home. Maybe I could search for him. Maybe he wouldn't have left." _The words echoed in his mind over and over again and he found himself unable to block them out. Each time he heard them, he felt a whole new sense of pain and regret. This was his fault. Anju's self confidence had already needed help before, but it seemed that, because of him, it now needed more help.

She wanted him back so badly and yet he was _sitting in the room _and he hadn't said a word to her. He could tell her everything that had happened and, even though he was a Stalfos, she'd still love him, but that wasn't the point. He was so selfish - leaving, putting her through so much worry, coming back, putting her in danger.

Finally, he couldn't sit still any longer. He couldn't take this any longer. He was being so self centered, such a jerk. He was just like everyone he'd always hated. He was just as disgusting as they were. Except now his outside looked exactly like his inside. He was a monster, who'd caused the nicest girl on the planet, one who deserved happiness, pain and suffering and now he wasn't so sure he could stand to sit there, looking at her face that shone with happiness all the time, hearing her say she wanted to be just like another girl he'd hurt, even though not on purpose.

He stood up quickly, causing his chair to fall back and hit the floor. He avoided everyone's confused gazes as he moved through the house and headed right out the door. He wasn't trying to be dramatic, wasn't trying to get attention, and he hoped they knew that. He just wanted to leave. He wanted to get as far away from that house as possible. He couldn't watch Anju hurt anymore. She hurt when he was there, she hurt when he was gone. There was no difference, so what was the point? At least if he left he wouldn't have to watch her in such a sorrowful state. She would eventually move on, she would eventually be okay. But not if he was there.

At the moment, she was being put in danger - they all were - just because he was standing next to their home. Ganondorf's minions could show up at any moment and kill all of them just to show who the real king of Hyrule was. Grog needed to get back to the forest, where he, and everyone else, would be safe. He'd taken one step on the stairs that led away from the house when the door behind him swung open and Cremia came wobbling outside. "Wait!" she called, stopping him in his tracks. "Grog, wait!"

He sighed, closing his eyes and hanging his head. Why was she coming after him? Why did she want to make it so much harder for him to leave? He slowly turned to face her once she reached him.

She put a hand on his shoulder both to steady herself and to comfort him. "What's going on? Why did you leave like that? Are you all right?"

"I can't stay here." He shook his head, hoping she would somehow understand without him having to say anything. "It's complicated and it's not safe for me to be wandering around anywhere outside of the woods."

During their five days in the tree trunk, Cremia had learned that the woods were cursed, even more so than Granny had told her. She didn't know or understand much about it, but she pretty much knew that he'd fallen under a curse or something of the sort. She knew he couldn't leave the woods and she knew that she should never go back to the woods. But that hadn't stopped her before.

Grog wished he could tell her everything. He wished he could tell her who he really was and who he'd once been. He wished he could say something without having to worry whether or not it'd get back to Anju or anyone else. He wished he knew what to do. But he couldn't tell Cremia and he had no clue what to do. He sat down on the ledge next to the steps, letting his legs dangle. The red head sat next to him and did the same.

The two of them stayed silent for the longest time. The ground beneath them was wet, but the rain had stopped falling from the sky. All they could hear was the crickets. The stillness of the night surrounded them and it was actually sort of peaceful, even if only for a few moments.

"I know there's more to everything than what you've told me," Cremia said, finally. "I know there's a lot I don't know about you and a lot I don't know about the Lost Woods. I know you're hiding something, but I also know you have a good reason for doing so. I won't ask what it is, because I don't want to know. I do want you to know that you have a friend. I'm not sure if that means anything to you, I'm not sure if you have a ton of friends or none at all, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you, Grog." She shrugged. "It's simple, but I mean it." She smiled at him, putting an arm around him and rubbing his shoulder. "You're not so alone, you know."

He didn't move, didn't breathe, and definitely didn't say anything. For once, he wasn't in shock by her words, he wasn't surprised about what she'd said. He knew she was there for him. He knew her name, her family, a little about her life, and a few other, random details about her personality they'd discussed in the tree trunk. Other than that, though, he didn't know much about her. But he knew one thing for sure: She was there for him. She cared, even though she was probably the only one who did. They were friends. He understood that.

Part of him wanted to tell her that he was there for her, too, but that part stayed quiet. Another part of him wanted to sit there, enjoying the silence with the one person who wouldn't mind enjoying it with him. Anju would have filled it somehow, thinking it was awkward or he was upset. Cremia knew better, though, and he had no idea how.

He heard the door open behind them and figured it was Romani. She was probably really upset that her game was ruined because of him. He didn't glance over his shoulder and Cremia didn't glance over hers. They sat there and everything seemed okay, in that moment.

"We came to make sure you were all right," came Anju's voice. She took a seat on the other side of Grog, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We were all worried."

_We? _he wondered, just before glancing over his shoulder. He almost fell off the ledge when he did. What. The. Heck.

What he saw was a sight he'd never seen before in his life. Standing there, all looking concerned, was his entire family, along with the carpenters, Baiko, and Romani. Not a single soul was left inside that house, because they'd all came outside for _him, _to make sure _he _was okay. How had that happened?

There was squishing sounds on the wet grass as they all took their seats close to the ledge as well, gathering around Cremia, Grog, and Anju as though it was something normal. They were acting like they did this kind of thing all the time, even though Grog knew that not _that _much had changed since he'd left, a few months earlier.

They all started talking to one another, just like they'd done inside, except they were a bit less obnoxious this time, probably not wanting to wake any of the neighbors. They laughed, joked, and sounded happier than Grog had ever heard them.

He wasn't sure what to do or think. He didn't even want to move at all, for he was too afraid this was a dream and he'd wake up at any minute. When had those disgusting people started acting so much like . . . a family? When did they start to care so much? Even his dad and his grandmother seemed to be caring about other people a bit more, in some ways. His dad still gave everyone an attitude at times, but he'd agreed to compliment his own mother, who had been so rude. And then she had come outside with the others, even though she didn't have to. Who were these strange people?

He turned to Anju, leaning close to her ear to whisper, "What's going on here?"

"We all care," she whispered back. "I'm not sure what's happened tonight, but something is different. I don't know why, and I'm not sure, but . . . I think it's because of you."

His eyes widened and he had to hold onto the ledge to keep from almost falling over again. "Me? What are you talking about?"

"You saved me and my family tonight," she explained, smiling that beautiful smile of hers. "It's nice to know that a stranger would do something so kind. I think it changed our perspectives a bit, if that makes sense. If a stranger could go the extra mile for us, what would it hurt to try and be a little more kind to people?" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, enjoying the fresh air of Kakariko Village at night. Once she opened her eyes, she stared right into Grog's and noticed again how they seemed so familiar. "Thank you, sir. You have no idea what you've done for us."

Grog, although overjoyed to hear her say that it was because of him, knew better. It was because of Cremia and her family. They were so close, so kind, so . . . together. They had, without saying anything, taught his family to come together. He'd never seen them all so happy around each other. He'd never been so happy around them.

When the sun came up, he'd have almost eight and a half months to find true love. But, glancing over his shoulder, he realized that he somehow already had. Saria had told him it probably wouldn't count, and he knew it wouldn't stop the curse. That no longer mattered, though. As he sat there, on the ledge, between two of the most amazing people he'd ever met, surrounded by people he'd once hated, he realized what love truly was. He was witnessing love in action - _real _love.

This was what love was supposed to be. It was supposed to be happy and caring and wonderful. Everyone was putting another person before themselves, they were all smiling - even Granny. Love was supposed to be exciting and peaceful. It wasn't always supposed to be romantic. He knew, because this was the realest love he'd ever seen.

* * *

Sunlight poured into the room the next morning, waking the sleeping girl immediately. The first thing that went through her mind was breakfast and what they were planning on eating that morning. The next thing that went through her mind was Baiko and his daughters, as usual, and whether or not Cremia would find the leaves for her father. The third and final thing she thought about before she got out of bed was the mysterious man from the night before and how she hoped he'd stuck around for breakfast. She hadn't said goodbye to him the night before. She was hoping he'd stay and want to live there as well, but she knew that was a far fetched idea. Not everyone who entered their home would stay, especially not when someone was a traveler.

She was getting up to brush her hair when she spotted a single, small, white piece of paper on the desk next to the window. It hadn't been there before. She picked it up and carefully unfolded it. How had she missed this? She usually noticed things like that when she was tidying her room.

A gasp escaped her lips when she saw the handwriting on the paper in her hands. It was Grog! It was Grog's handwriting.

As tears welled up in her big, blue eyes, Anju held on tightly to the paper that suddenly meant so much to her. She had a hard time, but, finally, she began reading: _Anju, It's Grog. I'm sorry you didn't get this sooner. I didn't want to worry you, but I'm afraid I did so by not writing to you before now. I want you to know I'm fine. I can't tell you where I am right now, or why I'm here, but I can tell you that I'm all right. Please don't worry about me. Buy some new cuccos and find someone to help you with them. I want you to be happy. I apologize for everything I've caused you. I'm sorry about the pain and the trouble I've put you through. However, thank you for all you've done to help make me who I'm becoming. I think I'm seeing things a little different now. Life is still disgusting, in some ways, but you've showed me that there's light and a lot to enjoy. So, yeah. Thank you. I don't know when or if I'll see you again, but just know I'm okay. Stay safe, stop worrying all the time, and, please, keep smiling. -Grog._

Anju could only watch as tears soaked the paper in her hands and some of the ink smudged a bit. He was all right. That was all she needed to know. He was okay. He was still out there somewhere, thinking of her. She stared out the window, smiling even when the tears threatened to soak her desk as well. _Grog, _she thought, wishing more than anything that he could somehow hear her, _I love you._

* * *

**Thank you for reading! ^_^**


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